|
George
Adamski
Inside The Space Ships [First
published in 1956 by Arco Publishers Limited and Neville Spearman Ltd, London
W.1] CONTENTS 1: Return of the Venusian 1: Return of the Venusian Los Angeles is a city of lights and noise,
of rush and restlessness, in striking contrast to the quiet starlight and
peace of my mountain home. It was February 18, 1953. I had not come to the
city for excitement, but because I had been drawn there by the kind of urgent
impression described in "Flying Saucers Have Landed." Following a custom of many years when
visiting Los Angeles, I registered in a certain downtown hotel. After the
bellboy had brought my suitcase to the room, received his tip and departed, I
stood uncertainly in the middle of the floor. It was only about four o’clock
in the afternoon and since I literally did not know what had brought me here,
I felt rather at a loose end. I went over to the window and stood staring out
at the busy street. There certainly was no inspiration there. Coming to a sudden decision, I went
downstairs, crossed the lobby and wandered into the cocktail lounge. The attendant
knew me and, although originally skeptical, after talking with me and seeing
my photographs of the Saucers, had become keenly interested. He greeted me
cordially. After we had chatted a bit he said that a number of people had
become interested in his Saucer reports and had asked him to give them a call
if I should come in. He waited for my reaction and I hardly knew
what to say. Momentarily at least, I had no plans. While I did not feel
particularly like giving an informal lecture to a group of strangers, on the
other hand it seemed as good a way as any to pass the time while waiting for
. . . well, whatever I was waiting for! I gave my consent and soon quite a
gathering of men and women had assembled. Their interest seemed sincere and I
answered their questions to the best of my ability. It was nearly seven o’clock when I
excused myself and went a short way down the street to have dinner. I chose
to be alone, with only the persistent feeling of “something is going to
happen” for company. After eating in a half-hearted kind of way,
I returned to the hotel. There was no one in the lobby whom I knew, and the
bar had no further attraction for me. Suddenly, I remembered Miss M—, a
young lady student of mine who lived in the city. She had been unable to come
up to our mountain place for some time and had asked me to call her when next
I came down. I went into a telephone booth and dialed her number. She seemed
delighted to hear from me. Having no car, however, she explained that it
might be an hour or so before she could arrive by streetcar. I bought an evening paper and, to avoid
encountering anyone who might recognize me, I took it up to my room. After I
had read what was of interest to me, I forced myself to wade though items I
would ordinarily have skipped; this in an attempt to discipline the
restlessness which now permeated my entire consciousness. Before the hour was up I went down to the
lobby to wait for Miss M— and she arrived about fifteen minutes later.
We talked for quite awhile and I succeeded in straightening her out in regard
to a number of problems which, locked in her mind, had grown out of all
proportion. Her gratitude was touching and she told me that she had
constantly been holding the thought and hope that I would come to the city and
help her. As I walked with her to the corner where
she took the streetcar, I wondered if the urge that had reached me in the
mountains could possibly have been her telepathic message getting through.
But when I was quiet again in the hotel lobby I knew this could not be the
explanation. That feeling was still with me — stronger than ever! I looked at my wrist watch and saw that it
said ten-thirty. The lateness of the hour, with still nothing of
extraordinary significance having taken place, sent a wave of disappointment
through me. And just at this moment of depression, two men approached, one of
whom addressed me by name. Both were complete strangers, but there was
no hesitancy in their manner as they came forward, and nothing in their
appearance to indicate that they were other than average young businessmen.
Because I had lectured in Los Angeles, made appearances on radio and TV, and
also been visited by a great many people from that city at my Palomar Gardens
home, such an approach from strangers was not an uncommon experience. I noted that both men were well
proportioned. One was slightly over six feet and looked to be in his early
thirties. His complexion was ruddy, his eyes dark brown, with the kind of
sparkle that suggests great enjoyment of life. His gaze was extraordinarily
penetrating. His black hair waved and was cut according to our style. He wore
a dark brown business suit but no hat. The shorter man looked younger and I judged
his height to be about five feet, nine inches. He had a round boyish face, a
fair complexion and eyes of grayish blue. His hair, also wavy and worn in our
style, was sandy in color. He was dressed in a gray suit and was also
hatless. He smiled as he addressed me by name. As I acknowledged the greeting, the speaker
extended his hand and when it touched mine a great joy filled me. The signal
was the same as had been given by the man I had met on the desert on that
memorable November 20, 1952. (This is described in the book "Flying
Saucers Have Landed" - an extract from this book of Adamski's first
meeting with a Space Brother is available at the end of this main text.) Consequently, I knew that these men were
not in-habitants of Earth. Nevertheless, I felt entirely at ease as we shook
hands and the younger man said, “We were to meet you. Have you time to
come with us?” Without a question in my mind, nor the
slightest apprehension, I said, “I place myself entirely in your hands.”
Together we left the lobby, I walking
between them. About a block north of the hotel, they turned into a parking
lot where they had a car waiting. They had not spoken during this short time,
yet inwardly I knew that these men were true friends. I felt no urge to ask
where they proposed to take me, nor did it seem odd that they had volunteered
no information. An attendant brought the car around, and
the younger man slid into the driver’s seat, motioning me to get in
beside him. Our other companion also sat with us on the front seat. The car
was a four-door black Pontiac sedan. The man who had taken the wheel seemed to
know exactly where he was going and drove skillfully. I am not familiar with
all the new highways leading out of Los Angeles, so I had no idea in which
direction we were headed. We rode in silence and I remained entirely content
to wait for my companions to identify themselves and explain the reason for
our meeting. I realize that such a trusting attitude
ordinarily would seem foolhardy in the light of the lawlessness rampant in
our world today. But it was an attitude followed by men of other
civilizations in the presence of men recognized to possess greater wisdom
than they. This custom has also been practiced by the American Indians to
show respect and humility, patience and faith. I understood this well and conducted
myself accordingly, since in the presence of these men I sensed a power which
made me feel like a child in the company of beings of vast wisdom and
compassion. Lights and dwellings thinned as we left the
outskirts of the city. The taller man spoke for the first time as he said, “You
have been very patient. We know how much you are wondering who we are and
where we are taking you. I acknowledged that of course I had been
wondering, but added that I was entirely content to wait for this information
until they chose to give it to me. The speaker smiled and indicated the
driver. “He is from the planet you call Mars. I am from the one you call
Saturn.” His voice was soft and pleasant and his
English perfect. I had noticed that the younger man also spoke softly,
although his voice was pitched higher. I found myself wondering how and where
they had learned to speak our language so well. As the thought passed through my mind, it
was immediately recognized. The Martian now spoke for the first time since
our meeting in the hotel. “We are what you on Earth might call ‘Contact
men.’ We live and work here, because, as you know, it is necessary on
Earth to earn money with which to buy clothing, food, and the many things
that people must have. We have lived on your planet now for several years. At
first we did have a slight accent. But that has been overcome and, as you can
see, we are unrecognized as other than Earth men. “At our work and in our leisure time
we mingle with people here on Earth, never betraying the secret that we are
inhabitants of other worlds. That would be dangerous, as you well know. We
understand you people better than most of you know yourselves and can plainly
see the reasons for many of the unhappy conditions that surround you. “We are aware that you yourself have
faced ridicule and criticism because of your persistence in proclaiming the
reality of human life on other planets, which your scientists say are
incapable of maintaining life. So you can well imagine what would happen to
us if we so much as hinted that our homes are on other planets! If we
stated the simple truth — that we have come to your Earth to work and to
learn, just as some of you go to other nations to live and to study — we
would be labeled insane. “We are permitted to make brief visits
to our home planets. Just as you long for a change of scene or to see old
friends, so it is with us. It is necessary, of course, to arrange such
absences during official holidays, or even over a week end, so that we will
not be missed by our associates here on Earth.” I did not ask whether my companions were
married and had families here on our planet, but I had an impression that
this was not the case. For a few minutes silence again remained unbroken as I
thought over the information they had given me. I found myself wondering why
I had been singled out to receive their friendship and been given this
knowledge by men from other worlds. Whatever the reason, I felt very humble,
and very grateful. As I was thinking about all this, the
Saturnian gently said, “You are neither the first nor the only man on
this world with whom we have talked. There are many others living in
different parts of the Earth to whom we have come. Some who have dared to speak
of their experiences have been persecuted — a few even unto what you
call ‘death.’ Consequently, many have kept silent. But when the
book on which you are now working reaches the public, the story of your first
contact out on the desert with our Brother from the planet which you call
Venus will encourage others from many countries to write you of their
experiences.” (After the first book, "Flying Saucers Have
Landed", was published, the truth of this prediction was proven) I felt not only a strong confidence in
these new friends, but an overwhelming sense that we were not actually
strangers to one another. I also had a deep conviction that these men could
answer all questions and solve all problems concerning our world; even to
performing feats impossible to Earth men if they deemed such necessary and in
keeping with the mission they had come to perform. We drove on smooth highways for a long
time, possibly an hour and a half. I still had no idea in what direction we
were traveling, except to sense that we were entering desert country. It was
too dark to observe details of the surroundings. My mind continued to be
absorbed in reviewing what they had told me and, as I have said before, there
was little conversation. I was jarred out of my musings when,
suddenly, we turned off the smooth highway into a rough, narrow, corrugated
road. The Martian said, “We have a surprise for you!” We passed no cars on this road, along which
we drove for about fifteen minutes. Then, with mounting excitement, I saw in
the distance a soft-white glowing object on the ground. We stopped within
about fifty feet of it. I estimated it to be some fifteen to twenty feet in
height and I recognized its close resemblance to the Saucer, or Scout ship,
of my first meeting almost three months earlier. As we came to a stop, I noticed that a man
was standing on the ground beside the glowing craft. After we had stepped out
of the car my companions called out a greeting. The man by the Scout ship
appeared to be working on something connected with it. The thee of us walked
toward him and, to my great joy, I recognized my friend of the first contact —
the man from Venus! He was dressed in the same ski-type flying
suit that he had worn on the first occasion, but this suit was light brown in
color with orange stripes at top and bottom of the waistband. His radiant smile made it clear that he
shared my happiness over this reunion. After greetings were exchanged, he
said, “As we were coming down a small part of this little ship broke, so
I have been making a new one while waiting for you to arrive.” I watched curiously as he emptied the
contents of a small crucible onto the sand. “The timing was perfect,”
he said. “I was just completing the installation as you drove up.” It suddenly struck me that he was speaking
English with only a slight trace of accent, whereas on our first meeting he
seemed unable to speak our language at all. I hoped that he might explain
this, but as he did not, I refrained from questioning. Instead, I stooped and cautiously touched
what appeared to be a very small amount of molten metal which he had thrown
out. Although still quite warm, it was not too hot to be handled, and I
carefully wrapped it in my handkerchief, which I placed safely in an inner
pocket of my coat. I still have this bit of metal in my possession. Although my companions were laughing at my
antics, there was no trace of ridicule in their merriment. The Venusian
asked, although he must have known the answer, “Why do you want that?”
I explained that I hoped it might furnish
proof of the reality of their visit and told him that people usually demanded
what they called “concrete evidence” to prove that I was not just “making
it all up” when I told of my first meeting with him. Still smiling, he answered, “Yes, and
you are a race of souvenir hunters, aren’t you! However, you will
find that this alloy contains the same metals found on your Earth, since they
are much the same on all planets.” Here, I believe, is as good a moment as any
to say to my readers that no names, as we know them, were given to me for any
of the people I met from other worlds. The reason for this was explained to
me but cannot be given here in full. Suffice it to state that there is no
involved mystery connected with this but rather an entirely different concept
of names as we use them. While this no-name state created no
awkwardness in my actual encounters with these new friends, I realize that it
certainly would do so for the reader, especially in the latter part of this
book as contacts mount. Therefore, since we of this world are dependent on
our own kind of names for one another, I shall provide them. While I want to make it very clear that the
names I am introducing for these new friends are not their correct
names, I wish to add that I have my own good reasons for choosing them, and
that they are not without meaning in relation to those who will bear them
throughout these pages. The Martian I shall call Firkon. The
Saturnian is Ramu. My name for the Venusian will be Orthon. 2: Inside a Venusian Scout
Ship Shortly after our arrival, Orthon turned
and entered the ship, motioning for me to join him. Firkon and Ramu
immediately followed. As I have stated, the Scout rested solidly on the
ground and only a small step up was required to enter the craft. Although when we had first reached the
waiting Scout, I must have anticipated something of this kind, now that I was
actually aboard, my joy can only be imagined. As I took a first quick glance
around, I wondered if their purpose was merely to show me what one of these
Scouts looked like inside, or — I hardly dared let the hope live — perhaps
actually to take me on a journey though space.…? We went directly into the one-room cabin
compartment through a door high enough to permit Ramu, the tall Saturnian, to
enter without stooping. As he, the last to go in, placed his foot on the
cabin floor, the door silently closed. I was aware of a very slight hum that
seemed to come equally from beneath the floor and from a heavy coil that
appeared to be built into the top of the circular wall. The moment the hum
started, this coil began to glow bright red but emitted no heat. I recalled
that I had noticed just such a bright coil on the Scout of my first contact.
But on that occasion it had thrown off various colors — red, blue and
green — like a flashing prism in the Sun. I scarcely knew where to look first. I
marveled anew at the unbelievable way in which they were able to fit parts
together so that joinings were imperceptible. Just as I had been unable to
find any trace of an entrance door into the Scout of my first encounter, now
there was no sign of the door that had closed behind us; only what looked
like solid wall. Everything had seemed to take place simultaneously
— the door closing, the soft hum as of a swarm of bees, the glow of the
upper coil and the increase of light within the craft. It was all so exciting that I was obliged
to take myself firmly in hand in order to concentrate on any one thing. I wanted
to leave this ship with a clear picture of everything in order to give a
lucid account of what I was seeing. I estimated the inside diameter of the
cabin to be approximately eighteen feet. A pillar about two feet thick
extended downward from the very top of the dome to the center of the floor.
Later I was told that this was the magnetic pole of the ship, by means of
which they drew on Nature’s forces for propulsion purposes, but they did
not explain how this was done. “The top of the pole,” Firkon pointed
out, “is normally positive, while the bottom, which you will notice goes
down through the floor, is negative. But, when necessary, these poles can be
reversed merely by pushing a button.” I noticed that a good six feet of the
central floor was occupied by a clear, round lens through which the magnetic
pole was centered. On opposite sides of this huge lens, close to the edge,
were two small but comfortable benches curved to follow the circumference. I
was invited to sit on one of these and Firkon sat beside me to explain what
was going on. Ramu took a place on the opposite bench, while Orthon went to
the control panels. These were located against the outer wall between the two
benches, directly opposite the now invisible door though which we had entered
the Scout. When we were seated, a small flexible bar
fell into place across our middles. This bar was either composed of, or
merely covered with, a kind of soft rubberized material. Its purpose was obvious — a simple
safety device to prevent falling forward or losing balance. Firkon explained, “Sometimes, when a
ship is thoroughly grounded, a sharp jerk is experienced when breaking
contact with Earth. Although this does not very often happen, we are always
prepared.” He smiled and added, “The same principle exactly as the
safety belts in your own planes.” It was still difficult to believe that
anything so wonderful was actually happening to me. Ever since my first
meeting with the Venusian, after he had gone and I was left with an
unutterable sense of loss and a longing to go with him, I had hoped and
dreamed that one day such a privilege might be mine. Now that it seemed
certain we were preparing for a journey into space, I could scarcely contain
my joy. Again and again I reminded myself that I must memorize all that I
would see and learn, that I might share my experience with others, however
inadequately. “This ship,” Firkon continued, “was
built for a two-man crew, or three at the most. But in an emergency a great
many more can be safely crowded into it. However, this is not often
necessary. He did not explain further and I wondered
if by “emergency” he could mean a rescue mission should another
Scout find itself in trouble. So impressed was I by this firsthand viewing of
the amazing results of their scientific knowledge that it was almost
impossible to visualize failure of any description. I had to remind myself
that, after all, they too were Human Beings and, no matter how far
advanced beyond us, must still be subject to error and vicissitude. I turned my attention to the graphs and
charts that covered the walls for about three feet on either side of the door
that I could not see, and which stretched from floor to ceiling. They were
fascinating, entirely different from anything I had seen on Earth, and I
tried to guess their purposes. There were no needles or dials, but flashes of
changing colors and intensities. Some of these were like colored lines moving
across the face of a particular chart. Some moved up and down, others
crisscross, while still others took the forms of different geometric figures.
The meanings and functions were not
explained to me, and I doubt if I could have understood it all, but I noticed
that all three of my companions were alert to the changes taking place. I
received the impression that the instruments indicated, among other things,
direction of travel, the approach of any other object, as well as atmospheric
or space conditions. The wall for a distance of about ten feet
directly behind the benches on which we sat appeared to be solid and blank,
while on those beyond, opposite our point of entry, were other charts
somewhat similar, yet differing in certain ways from those I have described.
The pilot’s instrument board was unlike anything I could have imagined.
The best comparison I can think of is that it looked rather like an organ.
But instead of keys and stops there were rows of buttons. Small lights shone
directly on these, so placed that each illuminated five buttons at a time. As
far as I can remember, there were six rows of these buttons, each row about
six feet long. In front of this board was a pilot’s
seat, very similar to the benches on which the rest of us were sitting. Close
beside this bench, conveniently placed for easy use by the pilot, was a
peculiar instrument connected directly to the central magnetic pole. Firkon corroborated my unspoken guess as to
its use by saying, “Yes, that is a periscope, something like those used
on your submarines.” As I watched the various lights flashing
across the faces of the charts and wall graphs, now increasing, now
diminishing in intensity, it became quite clear why these translucent ships
are so often reported as changing color as they move through our skies. But
there are other contributing factors. Many of the color changes and the
glowing coronas which often surround the Saucers are the result of differing
intensities of energy radiating out into the atmosphere and making it
luminous directly surrounding the ships, due to a process somewhat similar to
ionization. Within the craft there was not a single
dark corner. I could not make out where the light was coming from. It seemed
to permeate every cavity and corner with a soft pleasing glow. There is no
way of describing that light exactly. It was not white, nor was it blue, nor
was it exactly any other color that I could name. Instead, it seemed to
consist of a mellow blend of all colors, though at times I fancied one or
another seemed to predominate. I was so engrossed in trying to solve this
mystery, and at the same time to see and absorb every detail of this amazing
little craft that I was quite unaware we had taken off, although I did
suddenly register a slight feeling of movement. But there was no sensation of
enormous acceleration, nor of changes in pressure and altitude as would be
the case in one of our planes going at half the speed. Nor had we experienced
any jerk as we broke contact with the ground. I had an impression of
tremendous solidity and smoothness, with little more realization of movement
than of the unnoticeable journey of the Earth itself as it revolves around
the Sun at eighteen and one-half miles per second. Others who have been
privileged to ride in these Saucers also have been struck by the same sensation
of movement — or rather, the almost total lack of it. But the fact is,
with so many wonders crowding my consciousness, it was only later, after I
was back on Earth reviewing the night’s experiences in my own mind, that
I could begin to sort them out. My attention was now called to the big lens
at my feet. An amazing sight met my eyes! We appeared to be skimming the
rooftops of a small town; I could identify objects as though we were no more
than a hundred feet above the ground. It was explained to me that actually we
were a good two miles up and still rising, but this optical device had such
magnifying power that single persons could be picked out and studied, if so
desired, even when the craft was many miles high and out of sight. “The central pillar or magnetic pole
serves a double purpose,” explained my bench companion. “Besides
providing most of the power for flight, it also serves as a powerful
telescope with one end pointing up through the dome to view the sky, and the
other pointing down through the floor to inspect the land below. Images are projected
through it into the two big lenses in the floor and ceiling, as you can see.”
He did not explain whether this was done
electronically or by some other means. Its magnifications could be varied at
will, and I suspect that there was more to it than a simple optical system
such as we know on Earth. I looked up into the translucent dome. The
stars had always looked near enough to touch in the clear air of my mountain
home, but viewed through this ceiling lens they seemed to be actually on top
of us. As I alternated between watching the wonders of the sky and the swift
Earth flashing beneath us, I noticed four cables which appeared to run
through the floor lens (or immediately below it), joining the central pole in
the form of a cross. The Martian, noting my change of interest,
explained, “Three of those cables carry power from the magnetic pole to
the three balls under the ship which, as you have seen, are sometimes used as
landing-gear. These balls are hollow and, although they can be lowered for
emergency landing and retracted when in flight, their most important purpose
is as condensers for the static electricity sent to them from the magnetic
pole. This power is present everywhere in the Universe. One of its natural
but concentrated manifestations is seen displayed as lightning. “The fourth cable,” he continued,
“extends from the pole to the two periscope-like instruments, the one
beside the pilot’s seat and the other directly behind his seat but close
to the edge of the center lens, as you can see. These instruments are really
extensions of the main optical system and enable the pilot to see everything
that is going on without leaving his seat. They can be switched on and off,
or adjusted at will, so that both members of the usual crew can have full use
of the telescope without interfering with each other.” All the machinery was beneath the floor of
this compartment, and under the outer flange, as clearly shown in the
photograph of this Scout. I did not actually see any of it, but I was shown
into a very small room which served both as an entrance to the compartment
which contained the machinery, and as a workshop for emergency repairs. Here
there was a tiny forge and a few storage cupboards in which, I surmised,
necessary tools and materials would be kept. It was while I was looking through the door
into this room that our pilot said, “Be prepared for landing. We are
near our mother ship.” I could not believe it. It seemed that only
a few minutes had sped by since we had entered the Scout. Just a moment earlier the wall behind the
bench on which we had been sitting had appeared solid. Now a round hole began
to appear! I watched in astonishment while it continued to open, rather like
the iris of a camera. Shortly, a porthole about eighteen inches wide
appeared. This, then, explained the portholes in my Saucer photographs, of
which till now I had seen no sign. Like the door by which we had entered,
their coverings fitted so closely as to be undetectable when closed.
Recalling what my photos had shown, I reasoned that there must be four
portholes on each side, making a total of eight. “That is correct,” Orthon nodded
in corroboration, “and the touch of a button can open them all or singly
— and of course they are closed in the same manner. As the pilot alerted us to our impending
landing, the Martian said, “You will be interested to watch this!” At the prospect of actually landing on a
Mothership, my emotion rose to a point impossible to describe. Fighting for
composure, my mind framed the question as to where the mother ship was
waiting, and in what manner we would make the landing. Instantly Orthon answered both unspoken
questions. “This is the same large Mothership that alerted you and your
party on the desert last year at our first meeting. She has been waiting for
us up here and is at the moment about forty thousand feet above your Earth.
Watch and you will see how these small ships land and enter into their
carriers.” Fascinated, I peered out through the
portholes. There, below, I was able to make out a gigantic black shadow
motionless beneath us. As we came nearer, its huge bulk seemed to stretch
away almost out of sight, and I could see its vast sides curving outward and
downward. Slowly, very slowly, we drew nearer until we were almost on top of
the great carrier. I was not astonished when my companion told me that she
was about one hundred and fifty feet in diameter and close to two thousand
feet in length. The spectacle of that gigantic cigar-shaped
carrier ship hanging there motionless in the stratosphere will never dim in
my memory. Our little craft glided down toward the top
of the mother ship, very much like an aircraft coming in to land on the deck
of an aircraft carrier. As I watched, a curved hatch or opening appeared,
reminding me of a great gaping whale. Those who have seen the photographs of
this ship will recall that it has a blunt nose sloping slightly downward.
This hatch was situated at the far end of the main cylindrical body just
before the slope of the nose became perceptible. As we touched down, the
Scout moved forward into the hatch, tilting downward as it began its journey
into the interior of this mighty ship. Here for the first time I had a
feeling of dropping in the pit of my stomach. I imagine this was due to the
fact that the Saucer was no longer using its own power but was now subject to
the gravity of the mother ship. We traveled on down at not too steep an
angle, the flange of the Scout running on two rails slowly and smoothly, its
rate of descent controlled by friction and the magnetism in the flange.
Orthon had complete control over this, I found, for once I nearly lost my
balance and he stopped the craft momentarily while I regained it. Then the
slow, smooth glide continued until we had reached what I judged to be the
halfway position between the top and the bottom of the mother ship. Here the
Scout stopped, and the door instantly slid open. I saw a man standing outside on a platform
about fifteen feet long and six feet wide. He was holding something that
looked like a metal clamp attached to a cable. He was not very tall — I
should guess about five feet, five inches — and I noticed that he was of
a darker complexion than any of the space people I had seen. He was dressed
in a brown flying suit similar in color and style to the one worn by Orthon
at our first meeting. Black hair showed from under a dark, beret-type cap. I followed Firkon out of the Scout and Ramu
came after me. Orthon was the last to leave. The man in the beret smiled and
nodded to each of us as we stepped off the platform, but no words were
exchanged. From this platform a flight of about a
dozen steps led down to one of the decks of the huge craft. As I was guided down
them, I had time to notice that our Scout had stopped just before reaching a
junction in the rails down which we had come. One pair of rails continued
through the ship, curving downward out of sight. Between them was a dark
space which prevented any view of what lay below. The other pair of rails
continued straight on from the junction before which the craft was halted,
and ran astern to a huge hangar or storage deck in which I could see several
identical Scout ships lined up on the rails. “This is the storage hangar in which
the small craft are carried during interplanetary flight,” explained
Firkon, stopping momentarily on the step beside me. “Had we been going
on to another planet, our Scout would have stopped at the platform only long
enough to let us out. Then it would have passed over the junction and been
switched to its place in this large hangar. But because we shall be returning
to Earth later, the Scout must be recharged at this platform.” I glanced back and saw that the man on the
platform had already slipped the clamp attached to the cable over the flange
of the Scout so that it contacted both the flange and the rail beneath. I have no idea how this recharging
operation was performed; to me the clamp looked much like a machinist’s
large clamp used on Earth. Nor could I see to what the other end of the cable
was connected. Perhaps contact between clamp and rail was necessary to
complete the circuit or for all I know, it may even have fitted into an
unseen connection directly below the rim of the Scout. I did not wish to
cause further delay by asking. Although not answering the question in my
mind, Firkon did volunteer, “These smaller craft are incapable of
generating their own power to any great extent and make only relatively short
trips from their carriers before returning for recharge. They are used for a
kind of shuttle service between the large ships and any point of contact or
observation, and are always dependent on full recharging from the power plant
of the Mothership.” At the bottom of the steps we entered a
large control room, rectangular in shape but with rounded corners. This room,
I should say, was about thirty-five by forty-five feet, and something like
forty feet in height. Except for two door openings, the walls were entirely covered
with colored graphs and charts like those in the Scout, but on a larger scale
and more numerous. Extending along all four sides of the room
were three tiers of platforms from which the many instruments could be
observed and studied. A master telescope stood on the top platform, and
another on the bottom platform. From both of these were electronic extensions
to many instruments in other parts of the ship, making it possible, I was
told, for these two telescopes to be used from many locations on the ship. Also in this room was a robot instrument
which I was cautioned not to describe. I had noticed a miniature version of
this robot in the Scout. There were also several pieces of machinery in this
control room, none of which, so far as I could see, had any moving parts. I would have liked to stop in this room for
closer observation of all these graphs, charts, colors, machinery and
instruments, and to have been permitted to ask questions concerning their
operation, but this privilege was not granted. Instead, we went directly
through this control room and through a second door which led into the most
beautiful living room or lounge that I have ever seen. Its simplicity and
splendor took my breath and I gasped as I stood momentarily in the doorway,
not only marveling at the richness of its furnishings, but held in the
wonderful emanation of harmony that came from it. I do not know how long it took me to
recover from this unexpected experience but eventually I was able to look
about me with more interest for detail. The ceiling, I judged, was about fifteen
feet high, and the room could not have been less than forty feet square. A
soft, mysterious blue-white light filled it, and yet I saw no lighting
fixtures, and nowhere any inequality in brightness. Then, as I stepped through the doorway into
this luxurious lounge, my attention instantly was absorbed by two incredibly
lovely young women who arose from one of the divans and came toward us as we
entered. This was indeed a tremendous surprise as,
for some reason, I had never visualized women as space travelers. Their very
presence and extraordinary beauty, the friendliness that was so apparent as
they approached to greet us, together with the luxurious background in the
out-of-this-world craft, were overwhelming. The shorter of the two women touched my
hand in the recognized greeting, then immediately turned away to walk over to
another part of the room. Then the taller and seemingly younger girl leaned
forward and touched my cheek lightly with her lips. The first lovely lady
returned holding a small glass of colorless liquid which she held out to me. Stirred deeply by the warm friendliness of
these people, I thanked her and took the glass. The water (for that is what
it proved to be) tasted like our own pure spring water. It seemed, however, a
little denser, with a consistency something like a very thin oil. As I sipped
it, I strove to regain my composure and to impress the images of these
gracious and beautiful young women indelibly on my mind. The one who had brought me the water was
about five feet, three inches in height. Her skin was very fair and her
golden hair hung in waves to just below her shoulders in a beautiful
symmetry. Her eyes, too, were more golden than any other color and held an
expression that was both gentle and merry. I had the feeling that she was
reading my every thought. Her almost transparent skin was without blemish of
any kind, exquisitely delicate, though firm and possessed of a warm radiance.
Her features were finely chiseled, the ears small, the white teeth
beautifully even. She looked very young. I judged that she could not be much
over twenty years of age. Her hands were slender, with long, tapering
fingers. I noticed that neither she nor her companion wore make-up of any kind
on their faces or fingernails. The lips of both were a natural deep red. They
wore no jewelry of any description. Indeed, such adornment would have served
only to detract from their own natural beauty. Both women wore draped garments of a
veil-like material which fell to their ankles, and both robes were bound at
the waist by a striking girdle of contrasting color, into which jewels seemed
actually to be woven. The garment of the little blonde was of a
pure light blue, and her tiny sandals were golden in color. Later, I learned
that she was a citizen of the planet we know as Venus. Kalna is the name I
shall give her. Ilmuth, my name for the other woman, was
taller and a rich brunette in coloring. She also wore her hair in a cascade
that fell to just below her shoulders, and it was a beautiful wavy black with
highlights of reddish brown. Her large eyes were black, luminous, with
flashes of brown. They held the same merry expression as those of her
companion, and I felt that she, too, could read my innermost thoughts. In
fact, this is an impression I have received from every person that I have met
from worlds beyond our own. The color of this lovely brunette’s robe was
a pale, rich green, and her sandals of a copper hue. Ilmuth, like Firkon, was
an inhabitant of the planet Mars. I realize that in trying to describe these
ladies from other worlds than ours I am attempting the impossible. Perhaps,
using my inadequate description as a stepping stone, the reader will search
his own imagination for an image of perfect beauty — and then know that
it must certainly fall short of the reality. As I finished drinking from the small
goblet of water, I was asked to be seated, an invitation I gladly accepted. On the wall exactly opposite the door
through which we had entered hung a portrait which I was certain must
represent Deity. The emotion which the beauty of the two young women had
aroused in me was momentarily forgotten as the wonderful radiance emanating
from the portrait enveloped me. It showed the head and shoulders of a Being
who could have been eighteen to twenty-five years of age, in whose face was
embodied the perfect blended balance of male and female, and whose eyes held
a wisdom and compassion beyond description. I do not know how long I was enrapt by this
beauty. There was no interruption until I myself returned to an awareness of
my surroundings. I did not need to ask who this Being was.
Kalna broke the silence by saying, “That is our symbol of Ageless Life. You will find it in every one of our ships
as well as in our homes. It is because we keep this symbol always before us
that you will find no age amongst our people.” On one side of the room was a long table
surrounded by many chairs. I had the impression that this table was used by
the ship’s company for meals, and perhaps also as a council table. I had
an idea that the number of crew members ran into three figures, although I
had seen only a few on this occasion. I received no verification of this
latter impression, but my feeling about the table was substantiated by
Firkon. I also learned that the greater part of the room was used as a lounge
by the crew and their guests when crew members were not at their various
posts during flight. The rest of the salon was casually strewn with divans,
settees and chairs of different designs and sizes, very much in the manner of
Earth. But in every case these were lower and more comfortable than ours, and
more graceful in design and ppearance. They were covered in a material of a
deep soft nap with a brocade effect. The colors varied and were most
attractive to look at — rich, warm and subdued. Beside the chairs were low glass or
crystal-topped tables with interesting decorative centerpieces. But I saw
nothing the least like an ash tray. I suppose I knew instinctively that these
people were not addicted to the nicotine habit and I left my cigarettes in my
pocket. Once, however, through sheer force of habit, I reached for them.
Observing this, the little lady from Venus smiled and said, “You may
smoke if you like. I will get you a receptacle for your ashes. You see, only
Earth people indulge in that odd habit!” I thanked her and returned the package to
my pocket without taking a cigarette. To continue with my description — the
whole floor was covered by a single luxurious rug which reached to the walls.
Medium brown and perfectly plain, with a deep, soft nap, it was delightful to
walk upon. When we were asked to sit down, I found
myself on one of the longer divans between Firkon and Ramu. Directly
opposite, at a comfortable conversational distance, was another divan of the
same shape and size. Here the two ladies seated themselves with Orthon
between them. I still held the empty water glass in my hand, and now set it
down on the low table in front of us. The material of this goblet interested me.
It was crystal-clear, without etching of any kind. It did not feel like our
glass, nor like plastic. I had no idea of what material it was made, but I
received the definite impression that it was unbreakable. After noting the most outstanding features
of the furnishings, I let my eyes roam around the walls. To my right, I
noticed a large and beautiful door, slightly ajar, with no knob or lock that
I could see. Kalna told me that this led into a storage room, adding, “Our
ship often is long absent from our home planet as we travel and study space.
Nor do we always stop on other planets during such trips. Consequently, large
storage facilities are needed for supplies and equipment. “The door you see over there in the
opposite wall, like the one serving the supply room, leads into a kitchen.”
This door gave onto the portion of the room
I supposed was used for dining purposes. I was not taken into either of these
rooms. I studied with interest a large picture
near the door on the wall to my right. It showed a city which at first glance
seemed little different from those on our Earth, except that it was laid out
in circular form instead of the series of hard rectangles usual with us. But
the architecture was very different. I hardly know how to describe it, for
not one of our many architectural styles approximates it in any way. Here was
perfection of the graceful lightness and delicacy for which many of our
better modern architects are striving but have never quite achieved. It was
the kind of city of which men dream, but never see on our Earth. I had
guessed, before I was told, that the city depicted here was on Venus, this
ship’s home planet. On the other side of the door was yet
another painting, a pastoral scene of hills and mountains with a stream
running through the farmland. This might have passed even more easily for an
earthly scene except that the farmhouses were not scattered around the
countryside, but also followed a circular plan. I was told that this arrangement
had been found more practical in enabling these farm groups to become small,
self-sufficient communities, containing everything necessary to supply all
essential commodities for the country folk. On Venus there is true equality
in all respects, including allocation of commodities. Trips to the cities,
then, need be undertaken only for pleasure or for personal reasons. On the opposite wall, behind the long
table, I noticed a picture of a large mother ship, and I wondered whether it
represented the one we were in. But as this thought passed through my mind,
the little lady from Venus corrected it by aying, “No, our mothership is
really very small in comparison. That one is more like a traveling city than
a ship, since its length is several miles, while ours is only two thousand
feet.” I realize that my readers are likely to
consider such dimensions incredible, and I readily admit that I myself was
unprepared for anything so fantastic. However, it is necessary to remember
that, once we have learned to harness the great natural energies instead of
depending on mechanical force, it should be no more difficult to build cities
within the walls of gigantic ships than on the ground. London and Los Angeles
are cities nearly forty miles wide which were built largely by crude machines
and manpower — a prodigious achievement in itself. Once gravity is
mastered, cities in the air for us, too, can become a reality. “Many such ships have been built,”
Kalna explained, “not only on Venus but also on Mars and Saturn and many
other planets. However, they are not intended for the exclusive use of any
particular planet, but for the purpose of contributing to the education and
pleasure of all citizens in the whole brotherhood of the Universe. People
naturally are great explorers. Therefore, travel in our worlds is not the
privilege of the few, but of all. Every three months a fourth of the
inhabitants of our planets embark on these gigantic ships and set out for a
cruise through space, stopping at other planets just as your cruise liners
stop at foreign ports. In this way our people learn about the mighty Universe
and are enabled to see, firsthand, a little more of the ‘many mansions’
in the Father’s house to which your Bible refers. “In the temples of wisdom on our
planets we have many mechanical devices by means of which our citizens also
can study conditions in other worlds and systems, and space itself. But with
us as with you, nothing can quite take the place of actual experience. So we
have built fleets of gigantic ships like the one you see pictured there,
which might also be described literally as small artificial planets. They
contain everything necessary for the welfare and pleasure of thousands of
people over a three-month period. Apart from size, the main difference is
that planets are spherical in shape, are divinely made, and move in
elliptical orbits around a central Sun, while these little man-made planets
are cylindrical and can move through space at will.” An ever-increasing concept of our
star-studded heavens unfolded before my mind’s eye as I contemplated the
information just given me. I wondered to what “other planets” Kalna
referred. Replying to my mental question, Orthon
volunteered, “Our ships have not only visited all other planets in our
system, but those in systems close to ours. However, there still are planets
without number in the infinite systems within the Universe which we have not
yet reached.” Here again a wondering thought slipped in
as I mentally questioned what they had found on the “other planets”
they had visited. The Venusian’s eyes sparkled and a
tiny smile flitted across his mouth as he caught my thought. He continued
without interruption. “With the sole exception of inhabitants on Earth,
we have found the peoples of other worlds to be very friendly. They, too,
have gigantic space cruisers for the pleasure and education of their
fellowmen. As we visit their planets and are welcomed, they also visit ours
as friends. It is to the Earth alone that these passenger cruisers never
approach. Nor will they be permitted to do so until your people have a
greater understanding of fellowship as well as of the Universe beyond the
limiting confines of your own little planet. “During flights of this kind, those on
the cruise have much leisure time, as well as definite hours devoted to
learning. When they land on other planets mutually interesting social
gatherings are held. In short,” and he made this very clear, “peoples
of other worlds are not strangers to one another, but all are friends and are
welcomed wherever they go. “We consider planets throughout the
Universe as being in one vast sea of life. The far distant planets by the
billions which we have not yet visited will be explored when we have further
improved our space ships. There are some planets so far out from any in our
system that it would take us two or three years to reach them. Whereas,
within our system, the distance between planets can be covered within a few
hours to a few days.” Reviewing our concept of distance, I
exclaimed, “That is staggering to me! How fast do you travel that you
can cover such vast distances in so short a time?” “Speed to us,” was the reply, “does
not mean what it does to you. For once a ship is launched into outer space,
the speed of the ship is equal to the activity in space! Instead of being
artificially propelled, as are your planes, ours travel on the currents of
space.” I derived some small hope for our eventual
progress on Earth when they freely admitted that, in the earliest attempts to
conquer space, the inhabitants of Venus and those of other worlds had been
faced with exactly the same problems as those that are holding us back today.
Once again they stressed that gravity must be overcome as a first principle on
the way to space travel. 4: My First Look at Outer
Space At this point, a man who appeared to be
about my age entered from a door in the left corner of the room, smiling in a
friendly way. Although I had noticed a ladder in that corner which I presumed
must lead to an upper deck of the ship, I had seen no door until be entered
through it. Upon his appearance the two girls excused
themselves and left through the doorway leading into the control room.
Shortly, Ilmuth, the Martian, returned. She had changed from her lovely gown
to a pilot’s suit of the same style as that worn by the men. The color
was light tan with bands of darker brown at top and bottom of the waist belt.
I was delighted when she asked if I would like to accompany her to the pilot’s
compartment. Firkon joined us and as we three climbed
the ladder to the next deck, I noticed Orthon leave through the control room
where we had first entered after landing on the mother ship. The elder man
and Ramu, the Saturnian, remained in the lounge. As we walked along the upper deck corridor,
Firkon said, “Each of these large ships carries many pilots, who work in
shifts of four, two men and two women. Kalna and Ilmuth are pilots on this
Venusian ship.” The corridor, like all parts of the craft I
had seen, was pleasantly lighted from some invisible source, and led upward
and forward into a small room at the end of the large ship. As we entered this room, a young man who
was bent over a chart of some sort looked up, nodded and smiled, but no
introductions were made. I presumed he must be Ilmuth’s pilot companion.
“This seems a good moment,” said
Firkon, “to explain a little more about this ship. It is a carrier for
twelve Scouts such as the one in which we arrived. Actually, the interior is
not nearly as large as one would guess from its outward size. This is due to
much of our mechanical devices being installed between walls.” “This particular ship,” Ilmuth
added, “has four walls or skins. Some have more and some less, depending
on their size and the purpose for which they are built.” As I looked at the number of strange
instruments within this room, I was curious to know what “mechanical
devices” lay between the walls. Firkon said, “I will explain as
fully as possible in the few moments available. The entire section of the
ship through which we first entered is given over to storage space for the
Scouts, except for a large machine shop in which any necessary repairs can be
made. In spite of the great skill and care that go into the original
construction, parts do break and materials do wear. Much is required of any
craft that travels space. “The pressurizing equipment which
maintains a comfortable temperature throughout the ship is installed between
the walls, and much else which would require more time to explain than we
have just now. Entrance doors leading into the various walls in all parts of
the ship make access easy. Each craft èarries several mechanics who, working
in shifts, are on constant duty to inspect and check all parts. Therefore, it
is seldom that any defect remains undiscovered to the point of giving real
trouble.” In this pilot room I could look up or out
or down, in whatever direction I turned my head. As Firkon finished speaking,
the young man reached out and touched a button. Immediately, further openings
like portholes began to appear in what I had thought was solid wall. Then
both pilots took their places in small seats on opposite sides of the room. I
felt a slight movement and the ship seemed to nose upward. My heart beat violently as I wondered if
perhaps they planned to take me to their planet. The hope was short-lived. It
seemed but a moment before the ship stopped and again hovered. Ilmuth smiled
up at me and said, “We are now about fifty thousand miles from your
Earth.” Firkon motioned me to come to one of the
portholes as he said, “Perhaps you would like to see what space really
looks like.” I soon forgot my disappointment as I looked
out. I was amazed to see that the background of space is totally dark. Yet
there were manifestations taking place all around us, as though billions upon
billions of fireflies were flickering everywhere, moving in all directions,
as fireflies do. However, these were of many colors, a gigantic celestial fireworks
display that was beautiful to the point of being awesome. As I exclaimed at this vast splendor,
Firkon suggested that I now look back to Earth and see what our own little
globe looks like from that distance out. I did. And to my surprise, our planet was
giving off a white light, very similar to that from the Moon, only not so
pure as moonlight in a clear night on Earth. The white glow surrounding the
Earth’s body was hazy, and its size was comparable to the Sun as we
watch this body rise above the horizon in the early morning. There were no
identifying markings whatsoever to be seen on our planet. It looked merely
like a large ball of light beneath us. From here, one could never have
guessed that it was swarming with myriad forms of life. At the fifty thousand mile altitude, the
pilots had set their robot control and Ilmuth joined us, explaining to me, “Each
pilot room has a robot. These, working singly or together, can fully govern
the course of the ship, as well as warn us of any approaching danger.” The male pilot remained at his post and
Ilmuth remarked, in explanation, “One pilot in each control room must
always be on duty.” She then asked if I would like to have a
closer look at the pilot’s instruments. At one side of each seat there was a small
instrument which looked something like a tube set in the floor and standing
high enough so that the pilot could easily look into it. “This,”
Ilmuth explained, “is connected with the telescope you probably noticed in
the large control or chart room through which you first entered the ship.”
At this moment, however, the telescope was
not in operation, and I gathered that it was used only when the ship was in
actual interplanetary flight, or perhaps also while hovering for observation
and study purposes. The entire floor in this section of the
room was composed of magnifying glass like that in the floor of the Scout.
But the angle of the ship at this particular moment was such that I would
have had to kneel to look through it. Space and its activity held me transfixed
as I strained my eyes in an attempt to see everything that was going on out
there. Apart from the firefly effects, I saw a good many large luminous
objects passing through space. The larger bodies, so far as I could tell,
were not burning, but merely glowing. One in particular seemed to give out three
distinct colors — red, purple and blue. I asked if it could be another
space ship. “No,” Ilmuth said with a smile,
but did not explain further. Also I noticed that now and then dark
objects of various sizes, darker than space itself, would pass. But none of
these moving objects seemed to touch the ship. At times, even the dark
objects would become partially luminous. These, I was told, were what we call
meteorites, which become visible to us on Earth only as they create friction
in passing through our atmosphere. I asked what prevented them from striking
the ship when seemingly they were headed straight for it. “The ship itself,” Firkon
explained, “is utilizing the power of nature — electromagnetic, I
think you call it — and has excess power at all times. Some of this
excess is dissipated through its skin out into space for a certain distance,
sometimes only a short way, although at times its influence can extend for
several miles outward. This acts as a shield against any particles, or ‘space
debris,’ as you on Earth term it, repelling such things by this
constantly radiating force.” He went on to explain that all bodies in
space are negative to space and are actually moving in a sea of
electromagnetic force. Therefore, a negative radiation repels all negative
bodies while at the same time it prevents the ship from heating through
friction. I could have stayed for hours enjoying this
beautiful sight, but only a short time was allotted before the pilots resumed
their seats and we returned to the forty thousand-foot altitude where the
ship had been hovering when first we arrived. There was no perceptible dip nor turn in
the ship’s motion. The craft’s movement was so gentle as to be
scarcely noticeable, and the only audible sound was something as slight as an
electric fan in operation. None of us had been provided with special
headgear or any device for breathing or balance, but my mind was clearly
alert in every way at all times. I was struck by the fact that all the
instruments I had so far seen throughout the ship appeared to be operated by
push-buttons. And nowhere did I see anything that even faintly resembled a
weapon of destruction. But, after watching the repelling force of nature in
space as controlled by radiations from the ship, I had a strong feeling that
this force could very effectively be used for self-protection, should such a
need ever arise. Firkon answered this thought by saying, “Yes,
that is so. As yet, the need has not arisen. Moreover, if the issue is merely
our lives as against the lives of our brothers — even those belligerent
ones of your Earth — we would allow ourselves to be destroyed rather
than to slay a fellow being.” The implications of this simple statement
affected me deeply. I could not help but reflect sorrowfully on the so
different viewpoint of my fellow men on Earth; of the divided peoples, the
nations even now engaged in a race to produce more dreadful weapons of destruction
which would bring death, affliction and sickness to ever-increasing millions
of their fellow beings throughout the world. I thought of the credo of hatred
for the enemy instilled in the minds of young men as a necessary part of
preparing them for killing. For it is not inherent in natural man who
understands even a little of his place in Creation to want to kill. I thought
of the indescribable blasphemy of prayers addressed to the loving Eternal
Father of all, asking Him to bless them in thus betraying the very humanity
of their heritage. Both Ilmuth and Firkon were silent while
these thoughts went through my mind. Although I had many times before
reflected on just these things, they had never penetrated my consciousness
with such poignancy, and I knew that it would remain with me always. In a moment, Firkon called my attention to
an instrument no larger than an ordinary cabinet radio, with a screen similar
to a TV set. “With this,” he explained, "we can picture and
register anything taking place on the Earth, or on any planet over which we
either pass or hover. Not only do we hear the spoken words, but pictures are
picked up and shown on the screen. An internal mechanism breaks these down
into sound vibrations, which are simultaneously translated into words of our
own language, all of which are recorded in a manner similar to your own
tape-recordings.” To further clear this for me, he explained
that all words are made up of vibrations or scales similar to a musical
octave, just as all melodies are composed of certain notes. By knowing this
law one can learn a heretofore unknown language in a short time. When strange
vibrations become apparent, these are transposed into picture form, showing
exactly what the strange words or their vibrations mean. Needless to say, the
tape he showed me was different from any I had ever seen on Earth. It all sounded to me like a jigsaw puzzle,
and my mystification no doubt showed plainly on my face. In any case, Ilmuth
laughed merrily and asked, “Would you be surprised to learn that races
of people who lived on your Earth many centuries ago thoroughly understood
and used the universal laws of sound and vibration?” I stated that I had long suspected the
truth of this. “Although this knowledge is utterly
lost to your present-day civilizations,” Ilmuth continued, “a few
individuals here and there are awakening to a slight conception of its
possibilities. On other planets, these laws are a fundamental teaching in the
educational systems. With these as a basis, pupils are able to learn very rapidly
in all fields of knowledge and expression.” At this point, Firkon said, “Now we
must return to the lounge,” and as I stepped back to let Ilmuth precede
me, I asked why it was that practically no movement was felt inside this
large craft when she had risen from the forty thousand-foot level to fifty
thousand miles. “Quite simply because the ship is
built to take care of all that,” Firkon answered, and added, “as is
done with your own submarines.” Again I was amazed to find how much these
people knew about us and our developments on Earth. “Your submarines,” he went on, “move
under the surface of the water at great depths, yet the crew feel relatively
little of the movement registered by their instruments. And the men are quite
comfortable, too, for your ships have been carefully planned. Actually, there
is not so much difference between a ship that goes under water and one that
travels through outer space, except that our ships are propelled by natural
power, while yours are dependent on artificial forms of power.” It seemed to me that the difference he
mentioned was quite a tremendous one, but I did not say so, and Firkon
continued. “When you learn how to use the natural source of power that
is everywhere in the Universe, you too will be able to build submarines
which, like some of our craft, can rise to the ocean’s surface and
continue on up through the atmosphere out into space.” This reminded me of two incidents reported
early in 1951. In the first, two “missiles” dropped out of a
perfectly clear sky into the waters of Inchon Bay, off the western coast of
Korea. The missiles fell close to an anchored seaplane tender, the "Gardiner’s
Bay", and caused columns of water to rise to an estimated height of
one hundred feet. Later, the report said, the “missiles” were seen
to rise again from the water and soar on up until lost to sight. The second
incident happened off the coast of Scotland and was almost identical with the
first. Firkon, obviously getting my thought, said,
“You were quite correct in naming the photograph you were able to take
of this kind of ship ‘the submarine type.” At this point we entered the large salon in
which we had left Ramu sitting with the older man. They were still there and
speaking in their own tongue. As we approached, they rose, walked toward a
small table around which were a number of chairs and motioned us to join
them. These chairs were rather like dining room
or office chairs, but proved far more comfortable. As we seated ourselves,
Kalna and Orthon joined our group. On the table were crystal goblets filled
with a clear liquid which I found very refreshing. The flavor was delicately
sweet with an elusiveness that was tantalizing. The consistency was slightly
heavy, of a type to be sipped. I was told the name of the fruit from which
this juice was extracted, but could think of no comparable Earthly flavor. The entire time that had elapsed since
leaving the Earth to this moment probably was not much more than an hour. But
in that little space of time my whole life and understanding had opened to a
far greater concept of the Universe than I had gained during the sixty-one
years of my total life on Earth. Now, as we sat around the table, all eyes turned
to the older space man as he began to speak. Although it was only later that
his stature on all planets was explained to me, it was impossible not to
realize that I was in the presence of a greatly evolved being, and the
attitude of all present clearly indicated that they, as well as I, felt very
humble before him. I learned that his age, in his present body, was close to
one thousand years. The following hour or so, during which he
talked to us, seemed as a minute. All listened with complete attention and
without interruption to this man of great wisdom. “My son,” said the great teacher,
“you have been brought here and shown what lies within our smaller craft
and this large carrier. You have traveled in each for a short distance only,
but far enough to give you much knowledge to pass on to your fellow men on
planet Earth. You have seen what outer space is like and that it is indeed
constantly active, filled with moving particles from out of which all forms
are finally brought into being. There is neither a beginning nor an ending. “In the vastness of space there are
innumerable bodies which you on Earth call planets. These vary in size, as do
all forms, but they are very much like your own world and ours, and most of
them are peopled and governed by forms like yourselves and like us. While
some are just reaching a point where they are capable of supporting such
forms as ours, others have not yet reached that stage of development in their
growth. For you must understand that worlds are but
forms, and they too go through the long period of growth which all
forms experience, from the smallest to the largest. “Each planet moves in co-ordination
with a number of other planets around a central Sun, in perfect timing,
forming a unit or what you would call a system. In each case, so far as we
have learned from our travels, there are twelve planets in a system. Beyond
that, twelve such systems are united around a central core comparable to our
Sun. These make up what some of your scientists call a ‘constellation.’
Further constellations make up a Galaxy, and many galaxies make up a
Universe, and such island universes comprise a vast unit in the Father’s
house of many mansions . . . and so on, without end. “On our planet, and on other planets
within our system, the form which you call ‘Man’ has grown and
advanced intellectually and socially through various stages of development to
a point which is inconceivable to the people of your Earth. This development
has been accomplished only by adhering to what you would term the laws of
Nature. In our worlds it is known as growth through following the laws of the
All Supreme Intelligence which governs all time and space. “As you have seen, we travel space as
easily as you cross a room. The traversing of space is not difficult to those
who have mastered the laws within which all bodies live and move —
planets and men alike. It is then understood that distance between two such
bodies in space, or that between worlds, is no distance at all as you
conceive of distance in your world. “Remember, at one time the distance
between the bodies of land on your Earth, which you call continents, was
considered great, and much time was required to travel from one to another.
Now your aircraft have shortened this distance to a relative fraction of the
time required in days past. Yet the distances are the same. And so it will be
as you extend your knowledge and learn the laws operating in infinite space. “Another aspect of which as yet you
have no conception is that the body of any human being can be as comfortable
on one planet as on another. While there are some differences in atmospheric
conditions, depending y upon the size and age of the planet, these are little
greater than those which you experience on your Earth between sea level and
on a mountain several thousand feet high. Certain people are affected by such
changes, more than others, but all can become acclimated in time." Recalling the popular conception of
ponderous headgear plus tubes and gadgets, as depicted all the way from the “comics”
to serious theories of supposed experts, I wondered if our world was the
lowest in development throughout the Universe. Reading my thought and continuing without
interruption, this great teacher said, “No, my son, your world is not
the lowest in development in the Universe. Yours is the least developed of
those in our own solar system, but out beyond there are some worlds whose
peoples have not yet grown to your standard, either socially or
scientifically. Also, there are worlds where development has gone far in the
field of science and remained low in the field of personal and social
understanding, even though space has been conquered. “In our solar system, the peoples of
all planets except your Earth are traveling space freely; some for short
distances only, while others achieve great distances that take them to
systems beyond our own. “Your understanding of life and the
Universe is very limited. As a result, you have many false concepts about
other worlds and the composition of the Universe; and so little knowledge of
yourselves! But it also is true that there is a growing desire on the part of
many on Earth who seek sincerely for greater understanding. We who have
traveled the path you now are treading are willing to help and to give of our
knowledge to all who will accept it. “The first fact your people must
realize is that the inhabitants of other worlds are not fundamentally
different from Earth men. The purpose of life on other worlds is basically
the same as yours. Inherent in all mankind, however deeply buried it may be,
is the yearning to rise to something higher. Your school system on Earth is,
in a sense, patterned after the universal progress of life. For in your
schools you progress from grade to grade and from school to school, toward a
higher and fuller education. In the same way, man progresses from planet to
planet, and from system to system toward an ever higher understanding and
evolvement in universal growth and service.” As he gave this illustration, I understood
him to mean that individuals on Earth would, when ready, advance to a planet
of higher development. I wondered if, one day while still living on this
Earth, we would learn the laws that govern space and be able to visit these
other worlds as they now could. The master gave no specific answer to my
mental question, but continued, “You on Earth are bound by what you call
‘time.’ But even according to your estimations of time, when you achieve
space travel you will be astonished at the swiftness with which you can reach
other planets. “For this adventure you will have to
find new words. You speak of our craft — you call them Saucers — as
flying, a term which applies to the operation of your own planes. But we do
not ‘fly’ as you mean it. We nullify the atmosphere by a electro-magnetic
procedure. You express it as ‘suspending gravity.’ In this way we
are not hindered by atmospheric interference or resistance. This is why our
craft are able to make the sharp changes in direction of travel and to move
at the speeds that have so mystified your airmen and your scientists. “We could tell you much about the
control of gravity, knowledge that is necessary both for safe leaving or
approaching any planet. We would gladly give you this knowledge which has
served us so well, except that you have not yet learned to live with one
another in peace and brotherhood, for the welfare of all men alike, as we
have on other worlds. If we revealed this power to you or to any Earth man
and it became public knowledge, some of your people would quickly build ships
for space traveling, mount guns upon them and go on a shooting spree in an
attempt to conquer and take possession of other worlds. “You know that there are certain
groups in your world who have already made claim for property rights and
possession of your Moon for the purpose of using it as a military base. Many
Earth scientists are hoping that, in the not too distant future, they will
succeed in building space ships like ours for interplanetary travel. It is
entirely possible that this will be done. But Earth men will not be allowed
to come in numbers or to remain, until they have learned to embrace the
all-inclusive life as lived by people of other worlds, rather than the
selfish personal life as found on Earth today. And there will be much for you
to learn about outer space, for it is on space itself that you will
move." I recalled a simile I had often used,
comparing space to a vast ocean in constant motion. And I thought now that,
as our ocean liners move on or through the waves of the ocean, so these
interplanetary ships move on the waves of the activity in space. “Yes,” the master said, “it
is very much like that, and as your scientists work on this principle, more
understanding will come to them. For Nature herself will reveal her secrets
to all who seek with an open mind. “As you have been told, we travel
space in order to learn. Within our ships are many instruments, some of which
you have seen, and many others which you have not yet seen. Although on your
Earth you have thrown all our craft into the category of Saucers, we have
many kinds, many sizes, for many purposes. The largest have never come within
the atmosphere of your world. In fact, they have never come within millions
of miles of Earth. We cannot risk the lives of the thousands of people
traveling in these gigantic ships, for if anything should happen to force a
landing on Earth before your people have grown to greater understanding, ours
would be in peril. “My son, our main purpose in coming to
you at this time is to warn you of the grave danger which threatens men of
Earth today. Knowing more than any amongst you can yet realize, we feel it
our duty to enlighten you if we can. Your people may accept the knowledge we
hope to give them through you and through others, or they can turn deaf ears
and destroy themselves. The choice is with the Earth’s inhabitants. We
cannot dictate. “In your first meeting with our
Brother here, he indicated to you that the exploding of bombs on Earth was of
interest to us. This is why. Even though the power and radiation from the
test explosions have not yet gone out beyond your Earth’s sphere of
influence, these radiations are endangering the life of men on Earth. A
decomposition will set in that, in time, will fill your atmosphere with the
deadly elements which your scientists and your military men have confined
into what you term ‘bombs.’ “The radiations released from those
bombs are now going out only so far, since they are lighter than your own
atmosphere and heavier than space itself. If, however, mankind on Earth
should release such power against one another in full warfare, a large part
of Earth’s population could be annihilated, your soil rendered sterile,
your waters poisoned and barren to life for many years to come. It is
possible that the body of your planet itself could be mutilated to an extent
that would destroy her balance in our galaxy. “These would be the effects directly
concerning your world. For us, traveling through space could be made
difficult and dangerous for a long time to come, since the energies released
in such multiple explosions would then penetrate through your atmosphere into
outer space." I wondered whether, and to what extent, if
war should actually come to us, they would feel justified in stopping us. The master answered my mental question by
saying, “As you know, with our knowledge of the use and control over
energies far more powerful than any our brothers on Earth have as yet learned
to use, we could, if we wished, nullify your force with our greater force.
But remember what you have been told. We do not kill our fellow man, even in
self-defense. We are trying, and shall continue to try, to prevent such a war
by bringing to Earth men the knowledge of what they would be doing. For no
man wages war except in ignorance.” A light came into his face and his eyes
seemed to be looking at some inward vision of beauty as he continued softly, “And
no man lives who has never once dreamed of what you call Utopia, or the
nearly perfect world. There is nothing which man has ever imagined which is
not, somewhere, a reality. And, therefore, nothing that is not possible of
achievement. For you too, on Earth, this is possible. For us on the other
planets of our galaxy, it is so now. There are those on your Earth who have
exclaimed, ‘But how monotonous perfection must be!’ It is not so,
my son, for there are degrees of perfection just as there are degrees of all
things. In our worlds, we are happy, but we do not stagnate. Just as when one
reaches the top of a hill seen from below, a further hill comes into view, so
it is always with progress. The valley that lies between must be crossed
before the next height can be scaled. “Understanding of the universal laws
both uplifts and restricts. As it is now with us, so it could be on your
Earth. Lifted up by your knowledge, this same understanding would make it
impossible for you to move in violence against your brothers. You would know
that the same conviction, inherent in every individual being, which makes him
feel that be has the divine privilege of directing his own life and shaping
his own destiny, even though it be by the path of trial and error, applies
equally to any group, nation or race of mankind. “Just as there are many downward
paths, leading away from progress, so there are many that lead upward. Though
one man may choose one and a second man another, this need not divide them as
brothers. Indeed, one may learn much from the other, if he will. For in the
vastness of the infinite creation, there is no one way that is the only way. “On your Earth we have heard many
times the phrase ‘the road to happiness.’ It is a good phrase, for
progress is happiness and lies all along the upward pathway from its
beginning. And happiness makes men brothers in tolerance toward another man’s
efforts, even though of a different nature from their own. “There is nothing wrong with your
Earth, nor with its people, except that in their lack of understanding they
are young children in the universal life of the One Supreme Being. You have
been told that in our worlds we live the Creator’s laws, while as
yet on Earth you only talk of them. If you would live by the precepts
of even what you now know, the peoples of Earth would not go out to slaughter
one another. They would work within themselves, their own groups, their own
nations, to achieve good and happiness in that section of your world wherein
they were born and therefore call ‘home.’ “I think the peoples of Earth would be
amazed to find how swiftly a change could come throughout the planet. Now
that you have the medium for world-wide broadcasting, messages urging love
and tolerance for all, instead of suspicion and censure, would find receptive
hearts. For the great part of the Earth’s population is weary of strife
and its aftermath of woe. We know that, as never before, they hunger for
knowledge of a way of life that will deliver them. We know that there is fear
and confusion in their minds because they have seen and felt the results of
two great wars that have served only to foster the seeds of another. “So, with receptive minds and hearts
everywhere on your planet, it is not too late. But there is urgency, my Son!
So go forth with the blessing of the Infinite Father on your mission, and add
your voice to those of others who also carry this message of hope.” 6: Questions and Answers
Within The Ship After a moment of silence during which no
one stirred, the master rose, and all present with him. He stood for an
instant his hands resting on the back of his chair, and looked deeply into my
eyes. I shall never forget the expression of great kindness and compassion in
his gaze. It was like a benediction, and at the same time I felt a new
Strength rise within me. With a gesture of farewell which embraced
all present, he turned then and left the room. The silence remained unbroken
for several moments after his departure. I still could find no words. It was Kalna
who broke the stillness by saying softly, “For us, too, it is always a
privilege to listen to this great being speak.” Ramu, the Saturnian, deliberately, I am
sure, broke the tension. “Now, before we return you to Earth, an
interval has been allowed for you to ask questions that may be in your mind.
These need not be confined to the serious subject on which the Master has
just spoken,” he added with a smile, “since nothing that interests
you will seem trivial to us.” I looked at him gratefully as we all
resumed our seats. It seemed to me that Ramu had meant that I could put my
questions orally now, in what was likely to be a general conversation, and
not rely on mental telepathy. I voiced the one uppermost in my mind. “Could the drastic changes in our
atmospheric conditions, in many places since the bomb tests, have anything to
do with the release of that energy?” “They have, indeed!” Ramu
replied, “and we are not guessing. Our instruments have registered those
results. We KNOW!” “I wonder,” I said slowly, “if
you would care to comment a little further on the reason why, even though war
on our Earth would endanger the traveling through space of millions who live
on other planets, you still feel it wrong to hurt the few in order to benefit
the many." “We will try to explain,” Orthon
answered. “To all of us who have from birth been instilled with a vision
of the whole, it is unthinkable to disobey what we know to be the Universal
Laws. These laws are made by no man. They were in the beginning, and will
endure throughout eternity. Under these laws each individual, each group of
mankind, all intelligent life on each world, must decide its own destiny
without interference from another. Counsel, yes. Instruction, yes. But
interference to the point of destruction, never.” His questioning look seemed to ask if he
had made the principle clearer. Firkon, the Martian, spoke for the first
time. “You understand the power of thought forms. Apart from our
physical missions on Earth, all of us must hold firmly to the belief that the
peoples of your Earth will themselves awaken to the disaster toward which
they are moving.” “I see,” I said slowly, as the
issue did indeed clarify itself in my mind. “We know that the power of this
thought continually sent out to all our Earth brothers has changed the hearts
of many,” Ramu stated. “We also are aware,” Ilmuth
pointed out, “as are you and many other people on your Earth, that your
air forces and your governments know that our ships seen in your skies
are coming from outer space, and that they can be made and piloted only by
intelligent beings from other planets. Men high in the governments of your
world have been contacted by us. Some are good men and do not want war. But
even the good men on your Earth cannot entirely free themselves from the fear
which has been fostered by man himself on your planet throughout the
centuries.” “The same is true of your fliers
everywhere on Earth,” Kalna said quietly, “many have seen our ships
again and again. But they have been muzzled and warned, and few dare speak
out.” “It is the same with your scientists,”
Firkon added. Again I marveled at their knowledge of our
world and its peoples. “Then it would seem,” I said, “that the
answer lies largely with the ordinary man in the street, multiplied by his
millions the world over.” “They would be your strength,”
Firkon quickly agreed, “and if they would speak against war in
sufficient numbers everywhere, some leaders in different parts of your world
would listen gladly.” I felt that this conversation had
contributed much to my understanding and I was filled with hope. Almost
without realizing that I was going to do so, I changed the subject by saying,
“I wonder if you would explain a little further to me about the mechanism
I saw in the pilot’s room — the one that registers sounds that are
translated into pictures on the screen." “Of course,” Orthon said. “One
of its most important uses is to enable us to learn readily any language.
Naturally, those of us who actually live and work on your Earth for a while
speak with better accents. Although, with us, as with you, some have a
greater aptitude for languages than others and learn to speak flawlessly
without any direct contact with the people.” Here he smiled and reminded
me of the pantomimic conversation without words carried on at the time of our
first meeting in the desert, adding, “It was of the utmost importance
that I test your ability to send out and to receive telepathic messages. As
an outcome of that, you are here now! “We know well the skepticism of the
Earth people in all directions outside of the narrow ruts of personal
experience. It was for this reason that the messages I gave you were of a
universal character. We knew that, although the understanding of such
writings was buried with civilizations that were lost long ago, there are a
few people scattered about your present world who would be able to translate
them. With such translations, only the determinedly incredulous can still refuse
to believe.” “It is fortunate,” Kalna said,
with her merry smile, “that at least mental telepathy has been accepted
as an established fact by the scientists of your world!” “You know,” Orthon said, “we
had you under observation for some years before I finally contacted you, and
we felt sure that your knowledge of telepathy would be adequate. This was
proven in the final test at our first meeting.” “Did you test me in other ways as
well?” I asked. “Indeed we did! You see, inasmuch as
you had been photographing our craft for several years, your thoughts were
inevitably coming our way. We felt the sincerity of your interest. It
remained to be seen if and how you would translate this interest into action,
how well you could stand up under the ridicule and skepticism bound to come
your way, and whether you would be tempted to use your contacts with us for self-aggrandizement
or commercialism.” “You have passed all the tests with
flying colors,” Ilmuth said warmly. “In the face of all the
derision, disbelief — even when the validity of your photographs was
challenged — we saw how staunch you remained to that which, within yourself,
you knew to be true.” This encouragement filled me with happiness
and I knew that, with such friends, any faltering would be impossible. “There was another thing, too, which
we had to know,” said Ramu, “in regard to your discretion and
judgment. For example, there were certain things which the Master revealed to
you tonight which, as he made clear, must not yet be told to your people. In
a world like yours, it is a great temptation for most men to make themselves
important by indulging in attention-getting statements. Moreover, the whole
of what is now permissible for you to tell cannot, with wisdom, be told to
all. This is where your good judgment enters. After all, you have devoted the
better part of your life to teaching Universal Law insofar as you knew it. In
doing so, you learned well that it is not only useless, but often dangerous,
to give more knowledge than can be absorbed or understood. We know that you
will apply this principle to the information you receive from us.” “In regard to telepathy,” I said,
voicing a question which had been in my mind, “although I am able to use
it, I cannot claim really to understand its operation. Could you explain it a
little?” They glanced from one to another, and then
laughed. I realized that all present could answer my question and that they
had been amused at the courtesy which had prompted each to give the other the
opportunity. In fact, as I look back on the entire discussion, I realize how
different it was throughout from what happens in our world when two or more
people are gathered together. Where we jump in, talk at cross-purposes and
constantly interrupt the speaker (who should at least be permitted to come to
an occasional full stop), these men and women had, in all cases, spoken
without interruption from the others. And none had held the floor by sheer
force of verbosity. As if by common consent it was Orthon who
answered. “In your world you have what you call radio, and there are
many amateur radio operators whom you call ‘hams.’ These have
certain channels on which they are allowed to operate. These channels, which
you refer to as ‘ether waves,’ enable a person in one location to
send a message to a person at another instrument in some far distant place.
The two can hear one another as clearly as if they were in the same room. At
one time such communication would have been considered fantastic by people of
the type of mind which now derides an interplanetary origin for our ships. To
this kind of mentality, little that has not already been proven to the point
of being sold over a counter is conceivable. “Thoughts are received and transmitted
in exactly the same way as by radio, along certain wave lengths, but minus
any instrument. We work directly from brain to brain, and here again distance
is no barrier. "However, an open and receptive mind
is needed for success. Through all the years that you have been sending
thoughts to us, we have answered. This has established a solid cable-like
connection between us by maintaining the thought waves in a single channel.
Whenever your mind is open, we can send you the information you require,
exactly as you could receive a message over a telephone. “You were chosen to meet with me in
the presence of witnesses to confirm your experience. We wanted the truth of
this meeting to reach as far as possible. And we commend the staff of one of
your nation’s newspapers which proved brave enough to publish the first
account. “But one thing which we want you to
make clear to all is that mental contacts we have been discussing are
definitely not what your people call ‘psychic’ or ‘spiritualistic,’
but direct messages from one mind to another. Explanation of what you call ‘psychic’
will be given you at another time. “We call this mental telepathy a unified
state of consciousness between two points, the sender and the receiver,
and it is the method of communication most commonly used on our planets,
especially on planet Venus. Messages can be conveyed between
individuals on our planet, from our planet to our space craft wherever they
may be, and from planet to planet. As I said before — and let me make
this firm in your memory — space or ‘distance,’ as you call
it, is no barrier whatsoever.” While Orthon was talking, Ilmuth had
unobtrusively gone out of the room. Now she returned with a tray on which
were goblets holding what proved to be the same refreshing drink I have
described before. After she had distributed the glasses, I said, “About
these people from other planets who are living amongst us … has that
been going on for long?” It was Kalna who answered, “Since time
immemorial! Or at least,” she corrected herself, “for
the past two thousand years. After the crucifixion of Jesus, who was sent to
be incarnated on your world to help your people, as had others before him, we
decided to carry on our mission in a way less perilous to those concerned
than actual birth on your planet. This was made possible by the great advance
in our space traveling ships. We were able to bring volunteers in their
physical bodies. These men are carefully trained for their mission and
receive instructions in regard to their personal safety. Their identity is
never revealed except, rarely, to one or another individual for a definite
purpose, as with you. “They mingle with their Earthly
brothers to learn their languages and their ways. Then they return to their
home planets where they pass on to us what knowledge they have gathered of
your world. We have a history of Earth and the happenings thereon dating back
seventy-eight million years. Similar histories which were made by men on
Earth have been lost with the civilizations that destroyed themselves —
the same pattern of destruction that threatens you today. “The thing you call ‘war’
has not existed anywhere else in our system for millions of years. Of course,
all planets and their people must pass through the orderly stages of
evolvement from lower to higher. But yours has not been an orderly or natural
progress; rather, an endless repetition of growth and destruction, growth and
destruction. “There have been Earth men who have
left your planet with our help, in order that they might learn from us and,
in time, return to their Earthly home and pass their knowledge on to you. But
under the conditions existing on your planet today, it is no longer possible
to do this, since none could be returned. They could not explain where they
had been without being branded as lunatics and confined in a mental
institution. Nor, in your present world of multiple identification papers,
would the sudden return of someone who had mysteriously disappeared long
before be unchallenged by the authorities. "We cannot subject fellow beings to a
persecution beyond their endurance. This may give you an even clearer
understanding of how, in so many ways, we find ourselves blocked by those we
so long to help.” All the natural gaiety of Kalna’s
expression had been obliterated by one of sadness as she told me these
things. Now, as she took her goblet from the low table and sipped from it,
she smiled. As she set the glass back, she said, “It is a great pity that
we must talk of such sorrowful things — and still sadder that such woe
exists anywhere in the Universe. In ourselves, we of other planets are not
sad people. We are very joyous. We laugh a great deal.” I found myself deeply moved by this little
apology. They were joyful people on their planets. Yet they were willing to
share the sadness of our Earth, and to strive ceaselessly through the
centuries to bring us light. “We still have one hope left,”
Ilmuth said, as though trying to cheer me. “We can still come amongst
you, and now and again we can make the kind of contact as with you. While
your airmen make our landings difficult at present, we are hoping that, when
more and more of your people have seen our ships, become accustomed to them
and accepted the truth of living beings on other planets, personal meetings
with Earth people can be increased.” “I cannot see how it could be
otherwise,” I agreed. We all drank from our glasses. As I looked
at my friends, I saw that all signs of the concern they felt about conditions
on planet Earth had been banished from their faces. I knew that this was wise
and right and, trying to follow their example, I asked, “Do you dance
and sing on other planets, and have parties as we do?” “We dance a great deal — all of
us,” Kalna answered. “We consider training the body in a
co-ordination of rhythmic movement an essential part of our education.
Moreover, this expression is a part of what you would call our religious
ritual. As the poetic form in words can suggest deep feeling not possible to
the prose form, so it is with the perfect rhythm expressed in the movement of
a body dedicated in a dance of worship. “We also dance sheerly for pleasure as
do you, although not exactly in the manner of your present-day
dancing,” she added with a laugh. “We could derive no joy from the
kick, wiggle and hop we have observed on your Earth, during which a man and a
woman clutch each other ferociously one moment and fling each other off the
next. Our social dancing is usually of a group pattern, although often one or
more persons, inspired by the moment or the music, will dance for the rest of
us. You have seen fine interpretive dancers on your Earth and therefore know
the pleasure it is to watch beautiful movement of a body that is inspired by
the spirit within.” “We also have parties,” Ilmuth
said, “although we do not think of them in such terms. With us it is
quite simply a matter of inviting our friends to our homes that we may talk
or relax together. Many of these are outdoor affairs — on our beaches or
in our gardens. Like yours, many of our homes have grounds that are planned with
swimming pools and large terraces.” I wished that I need never leave these
wonderful people. But at just this point, Ramu rose and said, “It’s
bad news, but I fear that I must now return you to Earth.” I stood up and tried to bury my regret
under the thought of a “next time.” Farewells were said amidst an atmosphere of
gaiety and references to another meeting for us all. No one reminded me to remember all I had
been told, nor to apply it properly in my activities on Earth. I was left
only with a last impression of beauty and warmth and friendliness, and with
the knowledge that once ignorance was lifted from them, the people of my
world, too, could grow into the natural heritage of all Mankind. As we reached the door leading out into the
control room, I paused to look back that I might again imprint on my mind
every detail of this lovely room, my friends and, above all, the radiant
portrait of Ageless Life. The little Scout had been charged while we
were visiting and was now in readiness for our return to Earth. The door was
open and together we entered, Ramu, Firkon and I. Raniu went to the controls.
The clamp and cable had been removed as we climbed the stairs and, as before,
the door silently closed after the last man had entered. Slowly, we slid down the sloping rail,
through two air locks and out again into space through the bottom of the
ship. As we descended on the rail, I felt again that sensation of dropping in
the pit of my stomach, though it was less intense and of shorter duration
than when we entered. It seemed an impossibly short time before
the door slid open and Firkon said, “Here we are again — back to
Earth!” This time the craft was not set down upon
the ground, but remained hovering about six inches above it. Ramu came forward and extended his hand in
farewell, saying, “I shall not be driving in with you as I must remain
with the Scout. I am glad of this evening with you and look forward to
another soon." I echoed his sentiments! The drive back to the hotel was a silent
one, full of feeling and deep thoughts on my part. Firkon undoubtedly knew
this. He stopped the car in front of my hotel but
did not get out. We shook hands and he said, “We shall be meeting again
before long” I was wondering when and where and he
answered the unspoken question by saying, “Do not doubt that you will be
alerted at the right time, and find yourself in the right place.” I stepped out of the car. Raising his hand
in farewell, Firkon drove away, leaving me standing there on the sidewalk
alone. Entering the hotel, I went to my room. For
the first time since leaving with my friends, I looked at my watch. It was
5:10A.M.! I was not in the least sleepy, nor was I
aware of any fatigue. I sat on the edge of the bed for a full hour reviewing
the experiences of the night. And even as they went through my mind I could
not help but reflect on how fantastic the whole thing would seem to my fellow
man. Nevertheless, I felt that I must tell of
it. . . . Actually, I myself could scarcely believe
in the reality of all that had happened in the past few hours. Yet I knew
what my eyes had seen and my ears had heard, and that without doubt it had
been a completely physical experience. Finally slipping out of my clothes, I
stretched out and must have fallen into a light sleep. It was close to eight
o’clock when I awakened. I dressed hastily for there was little time
left in which to eat breakfast and catch the bus on which I was to return
home. Riding along in the bus, my physical eyes
saw the Earthly scenery through which we were passing, and some of the people
seated in my immediate vicinity. But my mind, absorbed in the experiences of
the previous night, was still traveling in space, or with my companions in
the giant carrier ship. The feeling of being in two places
simultaneously persisted for several weeks. I found it very difficult to
return to the bondage of Earthly ways. Although the time in which I had been
privileged to view the vastness of space and the beauty of its constant
action had been short, I carried the wonder of it with me. All that I had
learned from these friends of other worlds was not given to me alone, but for
the sharing with all on Earth willing to receive it. Time slipped by with no more meetings with
my friends from other worlds. Yet often I felt that they were near. It was two months later, on April 21st,
that I again felt a sudden urge to go to the city. Accordingly, the next day
I arranged to be driven to Oceanside, where I caught an early afternoon bus
for Los Angeles, which brought me into that city a little more than two hours
later. I registered in the same hotel as before
and went to my room to freshen up after my trip. Then I returned downstairs
and went into the cocktail lounge for a little chat with my friend, the bar
attendant. Shortly after, I returned to the lobby, bought a weekly news
magazine and settled down to wait. This time, the feeling of uncertainty and
inner restlessness which had plagued me on the first occasion was entirely
absent. I knew the meaning of the urge which had brought me down from the
mountains! So I read with interest the reports on both
home and foreign events as printed, plus a bit of what is called “reading
between the lines” on my own. Except for the entrance of two men whom I
knew slightly, and who came over to exchange a few words, there were no
interruptions. Suddenly I looked up, and there stood my
Martian friend, Firkon! I jumped to my feet with what probably
could be described only as a broad grin. Firkon too wore a wide smile, and we
exchanged the customary greeting. Then he said a certain word, stressing it
in a way which clearly gave to it some particular significance. As we left the hotel together, he said, “The
handclasp has been described to a certain extent and we thought it best to
add the word you have just heard as a further identification between you and
those of our worlds who are contacting you here. This will be particularly
useful in case you are approached by someone strange to you, as will
sometimes be the case." “An excellent precaution,” I
agreed. Then, glancing at my wrist watch and noting that it was already 7:15,
I said, “If your plans permit, and you would like something to eat, I know
of a little café close by where we can sit in a booth and talk undisturbed.”
“That will fit in perfectly,” he
said, adding with a smile, “after all, the body too has to be nourished!”
As we walked along I asked about Ramu.
Firkon told me that he would not be with us tonight. The café was full but we were fortunate in
arriving just in time to slip into a booth as the former occupants were
leaving. We exchanged greetings with the waitress who came to clear the
table. Firkon glanced briefly at the menu she had given him, then laid it
aside and ordered a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, black coffee
and a piece of apple pie. “I’ll take the same,” I
said. When we were left alone, he began speaking
quietly. “I see that, reading along in that magazine, you were struck by
the volume of suspicion, antagonism and hatred which groups of men on your
Earth are continuously fostering against other groups." Since I had not been consciously thinking
of this after Firkon’s arrival, I was somewhat amazed that he was aware
of my reaction. “Quite simple,” he explained, “it
is still a very powerful thought picture in what you might call the ‘back
of your mind.’ Few people,” he went on, “recognize those
destructive emotions within themselves for what they are — even those
who pride themselves on possessing mild dispositions. Yet notice what a small
incident is necessary to cause a man to lose his temper. In a while, with a
little more aggravation, he enters the fighting stage and becomes aggressive
in what he calls ‘self-protection.’ “Actually, this is nothing but a state
of emotional unbalance that carries with it a force of fury that sheds all
reason. Once recognized, such habit patterns can be curbed, or even broken
entirely.” At this point our food was brought. As we
were left alone again he continued, “Responsibility for the state of
affairs existing on Earth today cannot be blamed on only a few in any nation.
In my business and social contacts with my Earth brothers I have encountered
many saturated with these destructive emotions and encased in egotism.
Naturally, fear and confusion are prevalent. A few have succeeded in
developing a higher consideration for their fellow men by seeking to learn
more of the universal laws. "Some have chosen the channels of what
you call ‘metaphysics,’ ‘occultism’ and other similar
names. But amongst these there is often a selfish motive toward
self-promotion and personal gain rather than the universal motive of service
to others and mutual welfare. “As a result of such general
self-seeking, it makes little difference whom the people may choose as
leaders, even if selected from their own ranks. Leaders are subject to the
habits of the majority where the majority is in power. “We of other worlds who have been
living unrecognized amongst you can see clearly how identity with Divine
origin has been lost. People of Earth have become separate entities which are
no longer truly Human in expression as in the beginning they were. Now they
are but slaves of habit. Nonetheless, imprisoned within these habits is still
the original soul that yearns for expression according to its Divine
inheritance. This smothered urge is bound to disturb deeply the man chained
to his ruts by the mechanism of habit. And this is why, desiring finer and
greater expression, more often than men realize, something stirring within
the depths of their beings leaves the habit-bound self uneasy and restless.
Yet the habit is so powerful in its accumulation that while man wants to
listen to this kind, wise voice, he fears to yield, not knowing where it
might lead him. However, until man can cast off the shackles of his personal
self-pride and allow this voice to guide him, he will continue to live as a warrior
against the laws of his own being. “As you know, so long as men do not
desire to change their way of living, none can help them. Those few on Earth
who do sincerely desire to learn the laws of the Infinite One must try to
lead the others. And we of other worlds will help them.” We had lingered over our meal while Firkon
talked. Now he rose from the booth. Outside again, we walked about two blocks
to where the same Pontiac was parked at the curb. It was a blustery night, but I scarcely
noticed the storm. During the first part of our journey, my mind was
revolving around what Firkon had been saying. Toward the end, I could think
only of what new adventures might be mine tonight. The drive from the city
seemed shorter this time to the point where, as before, we suddenly turned
off the main highway. This time we drove only a short distance before the car
stopped. At first I could make out nothing except
the outline of a few low hills to my right and, as far as I could see in the
darkness, level terrain in all other directions. Although I felt certain that
it was intended we should meet the Scout again, I could see no sign of it nor
any light that might reveal its presence. However, my companion seemed sure
of his direction and we walked along for quite some time before the low hills
came to a sudden end. There, in the distance, I could make out a gentle glow.
My anticipation increased as we set off toward this light and, after about a
quarter of a mile or so, the familiar outline of the Scout became visible. But something was different. This was much
larger than the little craft I had in my memory. This one must have been over
one hundred feet in diameter, with larger portholes and a much flatter dome. A figure was standing silhouetted against
the glow of the ship whom at first I took to be my Venusian friend, wearing
the now familiar ski-type pilot’s suit. But this pilot proved to be a
stranger, a handsome man about six feet tall. He came forward a few steps and
greeted us in a warm and friendly manner while giving the usual handclasp. I
shall call him Zuhl. I was wondering if this enormous Saucer was
a Martian craft when the pilot corrected my thought by saying, “This
Scout is from Saturn, and it too is carried in a large carrier or Mothership
such as the one you have already been in.” He turned, led us to the waiting Saucer,
whose door was already open, and entered. I followed, Firkon behind me. This ship was at least four times the
diameter of the Venusian Scout and about twice as high — possibly a
little more. The door closed in the same silent way behind Firkon. Instantly
the light within increased and the low humming became audible as the
machinery started. I felt a slight tug or jerk, not enough to unbalance me,
and I guessed that we had left the Earth. As I gazed around, trying to take
stock of my new surroundings, the Saturnian pilot explained that this ship
was not only larger than the little Scout, but differed in other respects. It
had not been hovering above the ground, but was set down firmly on its huge
three-ball undercarriage. What I had felt was the jerk necessary to make the
break with Earth. Zuhl gave, as an analogy, a piece of iron clinging to a
magnet. A jerk takes place at the instant of separation. As I looked around, I saw the familiar
bluish-white diffused light and the same kind of glassy translucent metal
walls. On either side was a curved passage about four feet wide, which
appeared to encircle the ship. On the outer wall of this passage I noticed a
group of portholes, considerably larger than those in the small ship and,
from what I could see, I judged there must be four such groups in all, one
group in each quadrant. Ahead, a corridor of the same apparent width,
with high walls that reached up into the dome, ran straight forward for about
one-third of the ship’s diameter. Beyond this there seemed to be a
central chamber in which I could see a large magnetic pole placed through the
center of the ship. The pilot then asked me if I would care to
go on a tour of the Scout while it was in flight. Needless to say, I would!
Leading the way, Zuhl took me into the central chamber — an amazing
sight! It is difficult to describe anything so unfamiliar and complicated after
seeing it for the first time. However, I shall do my best. In plan, the ship resembled a wheel. The
four corridors were like four spokes leading to the hub or central chamber in
which we now stood. The walls ranged twenty to thirty feet from floor to
ceiling. They were covered almost entirely by illuminated graphs and charts,
over which lines and geometric shapes wove the intricate patterns in
continually changing colors that had fascinated me in the Venusian Scout.
Beautiful to watch, these held me equally enthralled, although I could
understand them no better. About halfway up around the circular walls
ran a delicate metal balcony, reached by a ladder. Above the walls was the
translucent dome itself, surmounted by an enormous telescopic lens. Almost
the entire floor space was taken up by an equally gigantic lens, at least
twice the diameter of the one in the Venusian ship. Around this were four
curved benches on which observers could sit and gaze down through space at
the planet beneath. But the central magnetic pole, running from floor to
dome, dominated the entire chamber. This huge silent rod of power, passing
through the two great lenses, contained the secrets we yearn for — the
secrets of interplanetary fight. As I have indicated, the ship was divided
into four quadrants by the four radial corridors. These corridors entered the
central chamber by four openings. Turning to our left, we now walked along
one of the corridors. About halfway down its length we came upon
two large archways opposite each other in the corridor walls. The pilot led
me through the right-hand arch into a part of the ship which he described as
the crew’s sleeping quarters. This whole quadrant was divided in an
interesting manner. In front of us were about a dozen small private rooms or
cubicles where each member of the crew had his private sleeping place. I did
not go into any of them, but as all the doors were open, I was able to see
how perfectly and compactly they were equipped — in a manner our Pullman
train engineers might envy! A kind of ship’s ladder with handrails
ran up to a section immediately over the sleeping quarters. This, I believe,
was the only part of the ship to contain two complete decks within one
quadrant. Up here was a kind of dormitory or restroom, equipped with couches
and deep comfortable chairs where the crew could rest or converse. The
ceiling of this apartment was formed entirely by the slope of the translucent
dome, and it reminded me of a dream-like solarium. Certainly it must have
been a lovely way of relaxing, under the huge curved glassy dome with stars
and space out beyond. While taking all this in, I wondered how
many crew members there were. “Normally twelve men comprise a full crew,”
said Zuhl, “but at the moment there are only two men on board beside
myself, since no more are necessary for a short trip like this.” Then I wondered whether all the members of
this particular crew were Saturnians, since it was a Saturnian ship. This
thought was corrected when Zuhl said, “Although this Scout was built on
Saturn, no particular planet owns it. Instead, we share it. Consequently, its
crew has members from all planets. “As you can see, this is a large Scout
and designed for long-range travel. It can remain away from its mother ship
for a week or more without having to return for recharge, as it carries
generating equipment on board which serves this purpose. In case of
emergency, additional power for a recharge can also be beamed direct to any
Saucer from the Mother Ship.” When we stood in the hallway near the
sleeping quarters, I fancied I noticed a faint vibration under my feet. I
understood why when Zuhl explained, “Most of the machinery is installed
directly under the floor in this section. There is also a machine shop that
can be entered directly from the sleeping quarters.” I looked for a door
but saw none, which did not surprise me. As we again came out into the corridor, I
glanced through the arch that led into the next quadrant. I saw a soft blaze
of colored lights and strange instruments — the control room itself.
There were two young men sitting at control panels. We continued along until
we had reached the outer circular corridor. We turned right and Zuhl said, “In
this room is a compartment where we keep two small, remotely controlled, ‘registering
disks.’ These are what we send out for close observation work. Highly
sensitive instruments, they transmit their findings not only to the Scout,
but also direct to the Mother Ship so that duplicate records can be made. One
set goes into the permanent records on one of the planets for the use of
anyone requiring that particular information. These little disks have
contributed much to our knowledge of the conditions on Earth, throughout the
whole solar system and even in systems beyond.” Walking along the outer corridor as our
tour continued, we passed a group of four large portholes but did not stop to
look out. When we arrived at the next radial
corridor, we again turned right and began making our way back to the ship’s
center between two solid-looking walls of the same translucent material.
These walls were very thick and strong, and formed an integral structural
feature, as do the spokes of a wheel. I could see that the wall on my right
must be the rear wall of the sleeping quarters. And Zuhl explained that the
opposite wall contained the entrance to a rather large storage compartment
stocked with food and other supplies for an extended trip. As the pilot mentioned the words “extended
trip” I wondered if this ship could travel between planets without the
aid of a carrier ship. This he disproved, stating that the Scouts are not
built for traveling in outer space. Once more we entered the central chamber
with its flashing, mobile wall graphs. We skirted the central lens and left
by the third radial corridor, the last still to be explored. As in its
counterpart opposite, this corridor also had two large arches leading off
from its midway point. First we turned and went through the left-hand arch
into a room which I was told was their kitchen. But I would never have
guessed this, for it bore very little resemblance to anything we know as a
kitchen. It appeared as an almost bare room with plain walls. But the
appearance proved deceptive. Zuhl told me that these walls were lined from
top to bottom with cupboards and compartments which, like all doors in these
amazingly constructed craft, were invisible until opened. In these cupboards
food and everything necessary for its preparation were stored. A small glass-like door was set into one of
the walls leading into what he said was an oven. When I looked in and saw no
burners of any description, Zuhl explained, “We do not cook our food in
the same way as you. Ours is done quickly by means of rays or high
frequencies, a method with which you are now experimenting on Earth. However,
we prefer most of our food in the state in which it is grown, and live
chiefly on the delicious fruits and vegetables which abound on our planets.
To all intents and purposes we are what you call ‘vegetarians,’ but
only in emergencies, if no other food is available, we do eat meat.” I realized later that I had seen no sinks,
garbage or plumbing arrangements but, since I am no housewife, I did not
register their absence at the time. But undoubtedly such facilities must have
existed, probably as mysteriously superior to ours as was everything else.
Nor did I see any chairs, tables or benches. No doubt, whatever was necessary
was tucked away between the walls. We left this kitchen and entered a lounge
fully as luxurious as the beautiful one in the Venusian carrier, where
couches and single seats in several styles were scattered about. In
comfortable proximity were the same kind of occasional tables with
transparent tops. On these were beautiful little ornaments. Zuhl said that
the crew members whiled away many hours in this room during observation trips
through the atmosphere of whatever planet they might be studying. He also
explained that, even as Earth men, they played many games, which they
thoroughly enjoyed, and also entertained guests here. I saw no books, papers or reading matter of
any kind, nor did I see any shelves or cases in which something of this kind
might be kept. But I do not question that such things were present. The floor-covering in this room, as well as
throughout the ship, was yellow-gray in color. There was no particular design
in within it and although the surface appeared very firm, it felt similar to
thick sponge rubber as I walked on it. We stopped only a moment in this inviting
lounge. Returning to the center corridor, we continued on to the first one by
which we had entered the Scout. Although so much had been shown and
explained to me in this fascinating craft, I was not allowed more than a
quick glance into the control room, and no explanation was given concerning
the power that operated any of the mechanical equipment. While I knew that
they traveled by utilizing the natural forces in space, transformed into
motivating power, I did not understand the how, and admit I was hoping
for information. But with an almost apologetic smile, Zuhl
told me that they still could not fully trust any Earth man to the extent of
revealing certain things. “For,” he said, “you on Earth have
not yet learned control of your emotions.. which often causes you to speak
before you think. In so doing, you could be led into giving information
unwisely to an unworthy mind who might pervert its use." I could not deny the truth of this. Our journey through the Scout had been a
rapid one, and explanations were given en route. In spite of this, we had
scarcely completed our tour when Zuhl announced, “We have reached our
carrier and are ready to enter.” Although they did not tell me how far out
we were, I had a definite feeling that this carrier was much farther from
Earth than the Venusian ship had been. Neither could I watch the entrance of
our craft into the larger one, as we were close to the center of the Scout
with no view out. Yet in many ways there was a feeling of likeness to the
former experience, although at the same time a difference which I was unable
to explain. As we lowered into the interior of the
waiting craft there was again the sensation of dropping in an elevator, but
no feeling of losing balance. When the Scout came to a standstill on its
rails and the door was opened onto a platform as in the other carrier, no one
was there to meet us and attach clamps over the flange and the rail as had
been done on the Venusian ship for the smaller Scout. Stepping out of this Scout and onto the
platform within this carrier from Saturn, I immediately sensed that this ship
was different in almost every respect from the Venusian carrier. I wondered
what adventures awaited me here, but at no time had I the least sense of
fear. Indeed, each fresh meeting with these
people of other worlds served but to make any part of fear an utter
absurdity. At all times I have felt very humble for the privilege which has
been granted me to listen to their words of wisdom and to visit and travel in
their beautiful ships. All that they have asked of me is that I pass their
knowledge on to my fellow man, whoever and wherever he may be. This I shall
do, leaving to each man the privilege of believing or disbelieving, of
benefiting from a higher knowledge, or casting it aside in derision and
skepticism. What I shall attempt to describe is rather
complex. Most of the mechanical arrangements I saw after boarding the
Saturnian Mother Ship were entirely new to me. At first I could not fully comprehend
their functions, but later I was helped to some understanding of them. The platform beside which we had stopped (I
say “platform,” but actually it proved to be a magnetic elevator
some fifty feet square) carried people and freight from the bottom to the top
of this gigantic carrier ship through an enormous shaft two hundred feet or
more in depth. A magnetic pole rose the full height of this shaft, passing
through the center of the elevator and, I learned, provided the power and
means by which it operated. This was the first thing — this and
the great shaft rising upward — that struck me upon alighting from the
Saucer. Ahead of us was a kind of bridge with side rails that connected the
elevator platform to the deck where our Saucer had stopped, for the
fifty-foot platform did not completely fill the width of the shaft. This
puzzled me at first. As Zuhl and I walked on, I turned and gazed
around me, awed by the majesty and superb construction of this colossal ship.
Looking back, I could see, high up above and beyond the dome of our Saucer,
the ceiling of the immense chamber through which we had descended. A large
set of rails sloped upward and through this ceiling, continuing somewhere in
the heights above where the airlocks must have been. I could look straight on
up to the opening in the Mother Ship through which we had just come. As we reached the platform, Firkon
suggested that I look into the elevator shaft. I did so and saw three more
floors or deck levels above, and three below, making a total of seven. At
each level a bridge or balcony-extension projected into the shaft to cover
the gap between the edge of the platform and the deck proper. These
extensions, I later learned, can be raised like drawbridges. In length they are equal to the height of
the deck from floor to ceiling, so that when raised they obscure the deck
entrance, making a smooth side to the shaft and completely sealing it off
from the rest of the ship. When the elevator platform arrives at its
destination, this portion of the shaft wall hinges downward until it becomes
the projecting balcony. When this takes place, the handrails on the elevator
swing outward and form handrails for the balcony. When the elevator moves
onward, these rails swing back from the balcony and form a guard rail on the
elevator. I saw how these rails operated just after
leaving the Scout. As soon as we had crossed the balcony and stepped onto the
elevator, the side rails closed in behind us, even though we were not going
to ascend. While I was gazing around, trying to take in every detail, Zuhl
stopped by a small control panel which was raised about four inches from the
floor of the elevator, probably to prevent anyone from stepping upon it
accidentally. This panel was about thirty inches long and somewhere between
six to eight inches wide. On it were six buttons staggered in two rows for
easy operation by the feet. Each button was marked to indicate its purpose. But I could neither read nor understand
these markings. ZuhI stepped on one of the buttons, and
immediately the railings on the other side of the platform swung outward and
took up a new position as guard rails for the balcony extension on the far
side of the shaft which we had now reached. Simultaneously, a beautifully
proportioned and ornamented door in the wall before us slid open, revealing
to me yet another wonderful sight. We were now in an exquisite salon, very
similar in furnishing and design to the one in the Venusian carrier, though
somewhat larger. Once again it was beautifully illuminated by the same
mysterious soft light without obvious source. However, my attention was
almost immediately arrested by six women and six men who apparently were
awaiting our arrival. They had been sitting in a close group, conversing
amongst themselves. As we entered, they arose and smiled. A man and a woman
came forward to greet us, including me warmly although I had never met them
before. The women were dressed in beautiful, sheer
gowns made of material that seemed to radiate an almost living quality. Each
had a wide belt apparently part of the garment itself, decorated with gems
that sparkled with a softness and vitality such as I had never seen in any
gem on Earth. These jeweled belts are the only ornament
that I have ever seen worn by women of other worlds. And as I marveled at
these gems, I found myself wondering if, rather than being superior in
themselves to those of Earth, their extraordinary brilliance might not result
from the radiance of their wearers — a thought later verified by Firkon.
The ladies’ gowns had long, full
sleeves, drawn together at the wrists. The necklines were cut round. Although
differing in color according to each lady’s choice, all were of soft
pastel shades which lent to the entire group an aspect of harmonious charm. In height, the women ranged from a little
under five feet to about five feet, eight inches. All were slender and
beautifully formed. Their features were delicate and their faces lovely in
contour. In coloring, every type was represented, from complexions very fair
with a faint rosy tinge to soft, smooth olive. The ears were small; the eyes
large and very expressive under brows beautiful in line. The mouths of all
seemed to be of average size with natural red lips, varying in deepness of
color with skin tones. All wore their hair shoulder length,
loosely yet charmingly arranged. Both men and women wore sandals. None of the
women looked to be more than in their early twenties. Later, Firkon told me
that their ages ranged from thirty to two hundred years! While the loose,
flowing gowns revealed merely a suggestion of the perfect symmetry of their
bodies, when later they changed into close-fitting uniforms, the beauty and
grace with which all were formed became clearly apparent. The men wore gleaming white blouses, open
wide at the throat, with long full sleeves drawn in tight at the wrists,
somewhat similar to those worn by men of the eighteenth century on Earth. The
trousers were also loose, very similar to our own styles. But the material
had a softness and a texture unlike anything I had ever seen. The men’s height varied from about
five to six feet, and all were splendidly formed, with weight in proportion.
Like the women, they varied in coloring, but I noticed that the skin of one
was definitely what we would call copper-colored. All had neatly trimmed
hair, although it differed in length and cut to some degree, as here on
Earth. None wore long hair as did Orthon, my Venusian friend of the first
meeting. I have since learned that he had a particular reason for wearing his
hair in this style. The men’s features, though uniformly
handsome, were not greatly different from those of Earth men, and I am
positive that any one of them could come amongst us and never be recognized
as not belonging here. None looked older than somewhere in the early
thirties, but this impression was also corrected later by Firkon, who told me
that their ages ranged from forty to several hundred years according to our
scale on Earth. Immediately after the greetings, we were
invited to be seated around a large oval table, on which were goblets filled
with a clear liquid. Like all I had seen, this table had a transparent top,
slightly different from either glass or any kind of plastic known on Earth.
It had no covering, nor was it etched, carved or decorated in any way. There
was an indescribable beauty about the material itself which needed no
ornamentation. The chairs drawn up to it were styled much
like our dining-room chairs. There were fifteen of these, corresponding to
the number of persons present. As we seated ourselves — I between
Zuhl and Firkon — we were invited to drink the liquid in the goblets.
Although as clear in appearance as our purest water, the flavor was similar
to natural apricot juice; sweet and slightly heavy, entirely delicious. Although the methods by which these space
travelers were able to learn any language spoken on Earth had all been
explained to me, this facility still held an element of surprise. The lady who had first come forward to
greet us as we entered started the conversational ball rolling as she said, “This
ship is a scientific laboratory. We travel space solely for the purpose of
studying the constant changes taking place within space itself. We observe
the life and conditions on the many planets we encounter as we move through
space. Naturally, learning the different languages is a necessity. It is
through the research made by ships like ours that space travel has been
developed to the present degree of safety. Something of this was explained to
you on the ship from Venus, but there you were not shown how the instruments
are operated. On this ship,’ however, you will see our instruments in
operation, and we shall explain some of their functions to you that you may
gain a greater understanding of how we have learned to use the natural forces.”
She then went on to explain that this ship
too belonged to no one planet, but was a Universal Ship, manned by people
from many planets and operated for the welfare and knowledge of all. “On this particular trip,” she
explained, “three of the women are inhabitants of the planet you call
Mars, and the other three from Venus. Usually, there are also three Saturnian
women who, for certain reasons, could not join us on this trip. So Saturn is
represented only by her men. Occasionally, men and women from solar systems
even beyond our own join the crew of this and other ships of the same type.
In every case, crew members are highly trained by our most advanced
scientists.” Almost as though there had been no
interruption in the discussion between Firkon and myself earlier in the
evening, the subject of the problems facing the inhabitants of our world was
resumed here, around this beautiful table. As usual, the absence of
condemnation or harsh judgment of any kind was remarkable. Instead, an
understanding sympathy for the suffering of the people of Earth was apparent
throughout. One of the Martian ladies said, “You
Earth people do not desire to show such cruelty toward one another. This, as
you have been told before, is merely the result of your self-ignorance, which
in turn blinds you to the laws of the Universe of which we are all a part. “Within your families, you speak much
of the love you feel for one another. Yet this very love you profess to hold
often expresses itself as a possessive power of bondage over another. Nothing
could be more contrary to love in its free state. Genuine love must embrace
respect, mutual confidence and understanding. As known and expressed on other
worlds, love contains nothing of the false possessiveness which perverts it
upon the Earth. “We understand love as a radiation
from the heart of Deity through all creation, and especially through man
toward all other forms, without division of any kind. In reality, it is not
possible to find virtue in one form, and none in another. “Yet, notice the distortion existing
on Earth, solely because man there understands neither himself nor his Divine
Father. Because of this ignorance, men go forth in what you call ‘war’
to slaughter ruthlessly those of another nation, another color, another
religion, without understanding what they do. It is difficult for us of other
worlds to grasp why men of Earth cannot see that not only is the mutual
destruction of themselves by themselves no answer to any problem, but a cause
for further woe on Earth. So it has always been and so it will always be. Now
that your scientific knowledge has so far outstripped your social and human
progress, the gap between must be filled with urgent haste. Men of
your Earth know the terrible power sealed within the bombs they are
piling up for use against one another. Yet they blunder on ever nearer to the
brink of an unthinkable world-wide slaughter. This, to us, is strangely illogical.”
“Yes,” one of the men agreed, “your
behavior does often seem illogical to us. Let me give you an example. You
have physical fathers on Earth, do you not?” “Yes,” I replied. “If you had two sons, born of your own
flesh and blood, as you say, and if for one reason or another one of your
Sons knelt before you and asked your blessing on his determination to slay
his brother, who is also your son, would-you grant his request because he
professed himself right and his brother wrong?” My reply was naturally, “Of course
not!” “Yet,” he pointed out, “that
is exactly what you Earthlings have been doing throughout the centuries. You
all acknowledge a Supreme Being according to your understanding, and you
speak of the brotherhood of mankind. Yet you ask the Eternal Father of all
things to do that which you yourselves would not do. For when you people are
warring against one another, you fall to your knees in unholy prayer. You ask
your Divine Father to bless your efforts to gain a victory over your own
lifebrother, even to the extent of destroying him. “We, as your brothers living on other
worlds than your own, view impartially the divided groups of people upon your
planet. We, who have learned more regarding our Father’s laws, operative
throughout the Universe, cannot make the distinctions that keep you in such
constant turmoil and we are saddened to see what is taking place on your
Earth. We, as brothers of all mankind, are willing to help all those whom we
can reach and who desire our help. But at no time may we force our way of
life upon the people of your world. “In reality, there are no inherently
bad people on Earth, nor anywhere in the Universe. If, as many of you express
it, your lives seem to consist of a ‘hell on Earth,’ you yourselves
are to blame. Your planet, even as all others, was created by our One Divine
Creator and is in itself a holy place, as are all His creations. Were all
mankind suddenly to be swept from the face of Earth, and with them the strife
and woe and grief they have brought upon it by not learning how to live
together, Earth would be beautiful. But never so beautiful as a world on
which men live as brothers with all in the Universe. “Because one man is a stranger to
another does not give him the right to ignore, insult, or to kill a fellow
being. “You have set aside a day each year
for the observance of the Brotherhood of Man, and you speak of the
FatherIhood of the Creator. Yet, in complete oblivion of the actions which
such declarations should bring forth, you lavish money and effort toward
swifter and more widespread ways of maiming and destroying your fellow men on
Earth. Does it not seem curious to pray to the Divine Father to bless your
efforts in this ruthless destruction? “We hear these prayers coming from
your temples, from your government leaders, from your homes and from the
battlefields. Can you not see how far astray you have gone? For you are
actually asking your Divine Father to do that which you yourself would not do
for your own children. Can you not see how hypocritical you have become? And
this is but one illustration of the many things which you do against your
Divine Father. “So long as you live this way, divided
one against the other, your sorrows will be multiplied. For when you seek
your brother’s life, someone seeks yours. This is the meaning of the
words once spoken by Jesus of Nazareth. Remember that he said: ‘Put up
again thy sword into its place: for all they who take the sword shall perish with
the sword.’ The truth of these words has been proven throughout the
history of man on Earth.” As he ceased speaking, a picture of the
Earth and the problems of the men thereon flashed before my eyes, and I was
saddened for my fellow men and for myself as Earthlings. For with the picture
came also the realization of how gigantic is the task to correct these
conditions. So many throughout the world are unawakened to the causes behind
them. Only when enough people realize what they are and, with their whole
hearts, desire to change them by giving up their personal greeds and the
desire for exaltation, one above the other, can it come to pass. No one person, no one nation, no one part
of the world could alone be blamed for the conditions that I saw pictured,
nor could any one segment of civilization do much to alter it. Responsibility
lies with each and every person — and who can forcibly change another? A
bondage that is the result of centuries of accumulated misunderstandings,
divisions and personal desire for power is difficult to break. As this realization filled me, I was
overcome with humble gratitude to our Divine Father for permitting His
children from other worlds who understood our problems of Earth to come our
way and extend helping hands of love and compassion to us. Although they
could not force change upon us, nor actively interfere, they could help the
receptive amongst us to strive together for a better world, instead of
warring against one another and thus causing further divisions. I realized that much time must pass before
such change could come, for mankind has grown to accept pain and sorrow as
inevitable, seldom seeking to deviate from the familiar path. Emerging from my musings, I noticed that
the ladies were rising from their chairs. “We must now don our pilot suits,”
a lovely brunette explained, “after which we shall go to the instrument
room where you will see many things about which you have wondered.” Their departure gave me an opportunity to
observe details of this beautiful salon. On the wall directly in front of us was a
huge chart of the heavens. This showed twelve planets in our system with its
central Sun. Surrounding ours were other systems with their suns and planets
shown in a way that was new to me. Throughout space, between the planets,
were details of the various atmospheric conditions existing in space, of
which we on Earth are totally unaware. I was told that this knowledge is very
important for safe space traveling. There were many markings on this chart,
which I was unable to read, but I figured that the purpose was similar to
that of our many road maps used by motorists on Earth for convenience in
traveling. This was corroborated by one of the men. Beyond this huge chart, on the same wall
but farther toward the back of the lounge, was a detailed diagram of this
ship, and it too was marked with symbols of characters which were entirely
unfamiliar to me. The other walls were covered with landscape
scenes of some of the planets which this ship had visited. These were not
framed paintings hung on the walls, but were more like murals. There was such
a liveliness about them that one felt physically present in every scene
depicted. This particular quality was something that I had noticed about all
their paintings and portraits. The explanation given me was that, whatever
the people of space do, so much of themselves goes into their work that it
actually does vibrate with their life-force and the radiance of their
personalities. The landscapes were very much like
paintings and photographs of Earthly scenes. They showed mountains, valleys,
small running streams and oceans. I saw that the six women had returned
dressed in their pilot suits. As they entered, the men rose from the table,
and one of them said, “Now we will go to the laboratory.” We walked together to the elevator that had
originally brought us. At our approach, the door slid silently open, although
I saw no one touch a button. This could be similar in operation to our
present-day photoelectric cell. The fifteen of us stepped onto the elevator
and Zuhl took over its operation. I saw him go to another control panel in
the corner opposite the one which I first described. There he stepped on one
of the buttons and slowly and silently we began to descend. As we were lowered below the level of the
Scout, which was still where we had left it, I noticed a vast chamber in back
of it extending far toward that end of the ship. Through the center of this
compartment and at right angles to the elevator shaft was a pair of rails.
Resting on these were four other Scouts identical in size and design with the
one which had brought us up from Earth. This was apparently the storage
hangar where they rested while the huge carrier was in interplanetary flight.
Along the outer edge, and slightly below each rail, was a catwalk about six
feet in width, with a wall on the outside of the walk. We passed two other balconies below the one
over which we had entered the lounge, and I figured that each of these must
lead to another deck in this gigantic carrier. At the third balcony below the
one leading to the lounge, the elevator was stopped. Thus, looking up from
the bottom of the great shaft I was able to count the seven decks on that
side of the ship. As the elevator came to a smooth stop, the
railing swung open. On the way down, I had noticed a pair of rails continuing
through the lower front part of the ship. These formed a V-junction with the
rails by which our Scout had entered, and I realized that these were the
rails down which it would travel when we left the carrier for our return to
Earth. This indicated that this whole section of the ship was taken up by
arrival and departure tunnels, the main shaft, and the huge hangar deck for
the Scouts. Somewhere in the same section, either adjoining or beyond the
hangar deck, there was probably a maintenance hangar and repair shop, while
beyond that again, at the far end of the ship, I knew there must be a control
room and pilot’s compartment. I had been told that there was one at each
end of these colossal craft. On this side of the ship we were taken into a
very large room which proved to be the laboratory. Never had I seen anything like this room,
packed with the most amazing array of instruments imaginable. Here were rows
upon rows of graphs and control panels. It seemed to me that every one of
these strange instruments I was viewing for the first time was equipped with
its own large control console. Six were already in action, and the six men
who had accompanied us from the lounge immediately took their places at six
more. There still remained a number untended. I noticed on the left shoulders
of four of the men an insignia of some sort. The woman pilot who stood closest to me
said, “All operators of these instruments are what you would call
advanced scientists. The shoulder insignia of the four men indicates that
they are Saturnians.” As had been the case in every other
instance, the graphs here showed colored lights with many types of lines and
figures, minus any of the dials or gauges so familiar on Earth. In spite of
the number of graphs I had now seen, they were still mysteries to me. “This is where we test the densities
of the atmosphere around the Earth,” the woman pilot continued, “or
of any planet or body which we approach. We study carefully the combinations
of the elements of the atmosphere surrounding each body, as well as the
elemental combinations of outer space. Although these are in a constant state
of change, there is a pattern of behavior according to universal laws. This
causes certain combinations to remain for longer periods of time than others.
In observing the activities of space, we are able, among other things, to
detect the formation of any new body in outer space and determine its speed
of growth.” This was amazing to me, and I would gladly
have remained in this room watching and trying to fathom the workings of
these instruments — some of which closely resembled our larger TV sets —
which I hoped might give me some understanding of what the changing patterns
were revealing. But the pilot said, “Now we will go on
to something else about which you have been wondering.” She led me across the large laboratory
room, Firkon, Zuhl and the women following. Here we began to ascend a sloping
ramp that extended the full width of the ship. We continued on up still
another ramp which led into a large room. It seemed that wonders would never cease.
Each new step brought fresh marvels until I began to fear that I could not retain
half of them in my memory. But my friends assured me that when the time came
to write, they would help me to recall an accurate picture of the night’s
events in every detail. I doubt if many men have spent a night so full of
surprises, beauty and vastly instructive sights, sounds and conversation. Now, to my great excitement, I saw here
twelve small disks lined up in two rows on opposite sides of the ship. I
guessed immediately that these were the registering disks or small, remotely
controlled devices sent out by the mother ships for close observation. They
were about three feet in diameter, of shiny, smooth material, and shaped
rather like two shallow plates, or hub-caps, turned upside down and joined at
the rims so that the central part was a few inches thick. I learned, however,
that such disks varied in size from about ten inches to twelve feet in
diameter, depending on the amount of equipment carried. As I have stated
elsewhere, they contained highly sensitive apparatus which not only guided each
little Saucer perfectly in its desired path of flight, but also transmitted
back to the Mother Ship full information on every kind of vibration-rate
taking place in the area under observation. Vibration rates cover a large field of
waves pertaining to sound, radio, light — and even thought waves; all of
these could be monitored back to the parent craft for recording and analysis.
Technically, perhaps, these small disks were the finest feat of
interplanetary engineering I had yet seen. For in addition to the functions I
have listed, they could also be disintegrated if out of control and in danger
of falling to Earth, either rapidly by a kind of explosion or, if life or
property on the ground were in danger, by a gradual disintegration process.
These little aerial wonders were lined up on a wide table on each side of the
room, resting in a kind of groove. In the ship’s wall directly behind
each disk was an opening like a port or trap door large enough for them to
pass through. However, at the time we entered, all were closed. Forcing my gaze away from them for a
moment, I took time out to look around. I noticed that the rails and railbed
of the Scout exit tunnel came down through the ceiling at the far end of this
chamber, continuing downward through the floor. Turning back to the disks, I
observed a long control panel built into the front part of the tables that
held them. When we came into the room, no seats had
been visible, but as the six women took their places before the control
panels small stool-like seats rose silently from the floor, possibly due to
pressure on a foot pedal. These control panels differed slightly from
others I had seen, and I cannot be certain whether small buttons were
recessed into the panels, or whether they were operated by means of keys like
an organ. Once seated, the women worked very quickly, their nimble fingers
darting above the instruments as they fed instructions and flight data to the
waiting disks. I remember noting the resemblance to six women playing in
pantomime, a silent concerto. It was fascinating to see how, when a disk had
received full “instructions,” one of the trap doors would open and
the disk would slide smoothly into the orifice, passing through airlocks
before hurtling away into outer space on its mission. Zuhl had remained with Firkon and me, and
when I asked where the disks had gone, it was he who said, “Let us
return to the laboratory where we can follow their flight on the instrument
panels.” On our way back, he mentioned that the
mother ship was now under way, but did not reveal our destination. I had been
aware of no movement whatsoever, nor had I heard any additional sound. Back in the laboratory, all the men were
still operating the instruments in front of them. I noticed on one of the
screens varying lines shaping, disappearing and reappearing in new
formations. The lines would then be replaced by round dots and long dashes,
which would quickly form into various geometrical figures. At the same time,
other screens were showing different colors of changing intensities, some in
flashes and others in waves. Figures would form on them from time to time.
These, too, changed rapidly in size and shape. Everything was a vast mystery
to me. “The men are registering with their
instruments what is taking place on the screens,” the Saturnian pilot
explained, “all of which will later be made into educational records.”
Curiosity prompted me to ask what had
become of the two disks which we had watched leave the ship. The pilot explained, “The disks are
now hovering above a certain inhabited spot on Earth and registering the
sounds emanating from that spot. This is what you are seeing on the screen as
shown by the lines, dots and dashes. The other machines are assembling this
information and interpreting it by producing pictures of the meanings of the
signals, together with the original sounds.” It must have been obvious that I understood
none of it too well for Zuhl further explained, “Everything in the
Universe has its own particular pattern. For example, if someone speaks the
word ‘house,’ the mental image of a dwelling of one kind or another
is in his mind. Many things, including human emotions, are registered in the
same way. “By the use of these machines, we know
even what your people are thinking, and whether or not they are hostile
toward us. For if there are harsh, frightening words, or even thoughts, these
will picture themselves in that manner and our recorders will pick them up
accurately. In the same way, we know who amongst you will prove friendly and
receptive. Everything in the entire Universe moves to a 'vibration-rate', or
as you have called it on Earth more recently, ‘frequencies.’ It is
by these frequencies or vibration rates that we learn the languages of other
worlds.” During his explanation, I watched the
screens and the ever-changing patterns. I thought it all looked comparatively
simple, and wondered why our scientists on Earth had not stumbled upon this
same procedure long ago. As I fathered this thought, without expressing it in
words, my companion answered, “They have, to some extent. This is not
very different from your magnetic tape and other kinds of recordings. The
principle is the same, only we have carried it further. Instead of stopping
with the gathering together of the many frequencies for sound reproduction
alone, we are now able to translate them into picture form as well. You do
this in a small way in the entertainment which you call TV. But in this, too,
you are still bound by your limited knowledge.” During the time that he was explaining this
to me, he had been intently watching the many screens. As he finished his
explanations, he suggested that we go to the disk room to watch the return of
these little messengers. We had no more than reached the other room
when the same two trap doors, looking much like large portholes in the wall
of the ship, opened to receive each returning small disk. They settled into
place as though quietly set down by some unseen hand. I was given no time in which to react to
the latest wonders now taking place, for Zuhl said quietly, “Keep
watching! Another disk on each side is being sent out — this time for a
different purpose. We are still in your atmosphere and when these have left,
we shall return to the laboratory, where you will be shown how they operate.”
As I watched, the trap doors adjoining the
first two disks quickly closed behind them. Farther down the line two other
doors opened, one on each side of the room. All the while, the women
continued playing a nimble, silent scherzo above the instrument panels. As the second pair of disks left the ship,
we three returned to the large laboratory room. For the first time, I now
noticed two other screens in operation. These were divided into sections.
Zuhl explained, “These are showing the many atmospheric conditions.”
In one section I could watch the movement of air, while its speed and
consistency were being registered by other instruments as the signals moved
across the face of this screen. The electric charge or magnetic force of the
atmosphere seemed to be moving in an opposite direction, and could be seen on
another section of this screen, while its composition (a light or heavy load,
as I understood) was measured and registered. On still a third section, many
of the gases of which the atmosphere is composed were separated, and here I
could see rapid changes of combinations constantly taking place. The
different intensities of atmospheric pressure and many other conditions of which
our scientists are totally unaware were remarkably interesting to watch.
While this was being reproduced on the screens it was simultaneously
registered by other instruments for permanent records and future study by the
inhabitants of other worlds. After what seemed only a few minutes the
disks were attracted back into the carrier, and I was told that they
contained within them samples of our atmosphere. These would be extracted and
studied later. “It was by means of disks like these,”
Zuhl told me, “that we first became alerted to the abnormal condition
building up on the fringe of your atmosphere — a condition constantly
increasing with every atomic or hydrogen bomb that is exploded on Earth. And
since these instruments are in operation at all times, they tell us what we
can expect as we move through space.” As we stood talking in the laboratory, my
attention was drawn to a particular screen by the pilot. “You see there,”
he said, “visual images of the dust which you call ‘space debris.’
These are now being flashed back by two of the disks.” It was fascinating to watch the behavior of
these tiny particles of matter on the screen. There was a constant swirling
activity. Sometimes the fine matter would seem to condense into the semblance
of a solid body, only to disappear and revert to practical invisibility.
Occasionally, these formations became so rarefied and fine that they seemed
almost to have been transmuted into pure gases. In a way, it reminded me of
little white clouds suddenly forming in a clear sky, perhaps to grow larger,
then as quickly to disappear into nothingness. This, at least, is the best
analogy I can draw in describing the activity I witnessed on these screens. Yet, with each formation of particle
bodies, certain quantities of energy seemed actually to take visible, solid
form, then immediately again be dissipated by what seemed an explosion or
sudden disintegration, plainly visible on the screens. Other instruments
recorded intensity and composition. Sometimes these accretions formed with
great intensity and the ensuing “explosion” was equally violent. At
other times they were very mild and barely detectable. But the cycle was
ceaseless; whirling energy, solidification, disintegration; a perpetual
motion of energy and fine matter ever seeking to combine or react with other
particles in space. I use the term “energy” because I can think of
no other word for what I was observing. It seemed to contain great power, and
I noticed that when gathering into a sheetlike formation or cloudlike body,
it appeared to disturb everything near it in space. I believe that I actually witnessed the
very force that pervades all space, from which planets, suns and galaxies are
formed; the same force that is the supporter and sustainer of all activity
and life throughout the Universe. As this realization began to dawn upon me,
I seemed unable to do more than half accept the tremendous implications.
Zuhl, sensing my inner bewilderment, smiled affirmatively and said, “Yes.
And this is the same power that propels our ships through space.” For a little while longer I watched the
screens, full of wonder at what I was beholding. Then my companion drew my
attention back to the disks. “These small Saucers are often seen moving
through space, and sometimes low over Earth. At night they are luminous. They
fly over Earth registering the various waves that emanate from the body of
the planet — waves which, like everything else, are in constant motion,
with continual changes in wave length and intensity. Whenever possible these
complex and highly sensitive little machines are returned to their parent
craft, but sometimes, for one reason or another, the connection is broken and
they go out of control or crash to the ground. In such cases emergency
procedure is immediately brought into action. On each side of the mother
ship, just below the disk-launching ports, is a magnetic ray projector. When
a disk goes out of control, a ray is projected to disintegrate it. This
accounts for some of the mysterious explosions that take place in your skies
which cannot be accounted for by artillery, jet planes or electrical storms.
On the other hand, if a disk goes out of control near the surface of the
planet where an explosion might cause damage, it is allowed to descend to the
ground where a milder charge is sent into it. Instead of an explosion, this
causes the metal to disintegrate in slow stages. First it softens, then turns
into a kind of jelly, then a liquid, and finally it enters a free state as
gases, leaving not a wrack behind. This latter process is without danger to
anyone or anything should the disk be touched while in process of
disintegration. The only harm could come if, by chance, someone should see it
fall and touch it at the moment the ray is applied.” When the Saturnian described the magnetic
ray, I thought what a wonderful protective device it would be against anyone
or anything attempting to attack their ships. Receiving my thought, he replied, “Yes,
it is entirely possible to use these machines against people, or any form
whatever, including planets. But we have never done so, nor will we ever use
them in that manner, for if we did, we would be no better than your people of
Earth. “Our protection, as has many times
been demonstrated when pursued by your Earth planes, is our ability to escape
faster than your eyes can perceive. Moreover, we can increase the frequency
of the activated area of a ship to the point of producing invisibility.
Except for our own precaution, your planes could fly blindly into our ship
without seeing it. If we permitted you to come as close as that, when you
hit, you would find our craft as solid as though functioning in a lower
frequency. The impact would destroy you, yet do us no harm whatsoever." “From what I have been told,” I
said, “I gather that occasionally something can go wrong with even your
wonderful craft.” “Yes,” he replied. “In such
cases, if in outer space, we can abandon the ship if it is not salvagable.
When this is necessary, the ship is disintegrated and returns to the original
elements of space. Every large carrier is equipped with small emergency craft
stocked with sufficient supplies and all necessary instruments with which to
communicate to other ships in space, or even with a planet. However, if such
an accident should take place near some planet, then we would crash just as
your own planes do.” Instantly I asked him, “Then everybody
on board is killed?” “Yes,” he replied, “but
because of our understanding, death in your sense does not appall us. Each of
us recognizes himself as the intelligence and not the body. Thus, through
rebirth, we receive a new body. “Also, because of our understanding,
we can never deliberately destroy another body through which intelligence is
expressing. However, if we should cause death unintentionally, through an
accident, then we are not held responsible, for it was not of our own desire.”
The instruments continued working as we
stood talking. While I watched the screens flashing, I wondered if there were
still more and different machines or instruments which I had not yet seen. Replying to this unspoken thought, Zull
answered, “Yes, there are many more in another large room between the
disk room and the pilot’s compartment which are in operation only while
we are flying interplanetary.” During this visit to the laboratory and
disk room, I had been totally unaware of the passing of time. I did not know
whether we were standing still in Earth’s atmosphere or moving rapidly
through space since, although I had been watching the screens, I was unable
to read them as the others were doing. But now the Saturnian pilot said, “We
are not too far from your Moon.” To which remark I thrilled in excitement
and wondered if we were going to land there. “No,” he said, “not this
time. But we want you to see for yourself what you have been surmising about
your Moon. The Moon has air, as you can see by our instruments, now that we
are close enough to register it. Air is not naturally an obstruction to the
viewing of another body, as we have sometimes heard it said on your Earth.
And while, from your planet, you do not see dense clouds moving above the
Moon, your scientists have on occasion observed what they call ‘mild
movement of air,’ especially in pockets of these valleys which you call ‘craters.’
In reality, what they see are shadows of clouds moving. The side of the Moon that you see from
Earth has not much chance to show you its actual clouds, which are rarely
heavy. While just beyond the rim of the Moon, over that section which might
be called a temperate zone, you will notice by our instruments that there are
heavier clouds forming, moving and disappearing, very much as they do above
the Earth. “The side of the Moon which you can
see from your planet is quite comparable to your desert areas on Earth. It is
hot, as your scientists correctly claim, but its temperature is not so
extreme as they think. And while the side which you do not see is colder,
neither is it as cold as they believe. it is strange how people of Earth
accept statements from those they look up to as men of learning without
questioning the limitations of that knowledge. “There is a beautiful strip or section
around the center of the Moon in which vegetation, trees and animals thrive,
and in which people live in comfort. Even you of Earth could live on that
part of the Moon, for the human body is the most adaptable machine in the
Universe. “Many times you Earthlings have
accomplished what has been termed the ‘impossible.’ Nothing in the
imagination of man is actually impossible of achievement. But to return to
the Moon, any body in space, whether hot or cold, must have a kind of
atmosphere, as you have named it, or gases that will permit this action to
take place. Yet your scientists, while maintaining the absence of air around
the Moon, do admit that there are both heat and cold on that body! The Moon
does not have as much atmosphere as your Earth has, nor as our planet,
because it is a far smaller body than either. Nonetheless, an atmosphere is
present. “Perhaps I can illustrate my point a
little more clearly,” the Saturnian continued. “You have on Earth a
small island out in an ocean. As far as the eye can see there is no other
land, yet men can live on this island as well as they did on the larger
bodies which you call ‘continents.’ Bodies in space are like
islands. Some are large and some are small, but all are surrounded and
supported by one and the same power that gives them life. “Many of your scientists have
expressed the idea that the Moon is a dead body. If this were true and the
Moon were dead, according to your meaning of that word, it long ago would
have vanished from space through disintegration. No! It is very much alive
and supports a life which includes people. We ourselves have a large
laboratory just beyond the rim of the Moon, out of sight of Earth, in the
temperate and cooler section of that body.” I asked him if the ship would go close
enough so that I could see the surface of our satellite with my own physical
eyes. He smiled and said, “That will not be
necessary. Come and look — with this instrument we can bring the Moon up
to within a short distance of where we are, so that you will be able to see
it as clearly as if you were walking on it.” I asked him how far we now were from the
Moon, and was told, “About forty thousand miles.” I hoped very much that we might circle the
Moon, so that I could see for myself what was on the other side in that
temperate zone he had mentioned. At the same time I realized that there might
be things there which they did not care to have me see. And to this thought
came a quick confirmation from the Saturnian pilot. “We must test you with the information
already given you before we reveal some things. We realize, perhaps better
than you, the weaknesses of men, even of those who have a great desire to do
right. We must be careful not to add to Earthly destruction.” As the instrument for viewing the Moon at
close range was adjusted, I was amazed to see how completely wrong we are in
our ideas about this, our nearest neighbor. Many of the craters are actually
large valleys, surrounded with rugged mountains, created by some past
terrific upheaval within the body of the Moon. I could see definite indications that, on
the side which we see from Earth, at one time there must have been plenty of
water. Zuhl said, “There is still plenty on the other side, as well as
much hidden deep within the mountains on this side.” He then pointed out
to me, up on the flanks of the mountains surrounding the craters, definite
traces of ancient water lines. True, some of the craters had been formed
by meteorites hitting the Moon’s surface, but in every such case, these
craters showed definite funnel bottoms. And as I studied the magnified
surface of the Moon upon the screen before us, I noticed deep ruts through
the ground and in some of the imbedded rock, which could have been made in no
other way than by a heavy run-off of water in times past. In some of these
places there was still a very small growth of vegetation perceptible. Part of
the surface looked fine and powdery, while other portions appeared to consist
of larger particles similar to coarse sand or fine gravel. As I watched, a
small animal ran across the area I was observing. I could see that it was
four-legged and furry, but its speed prevented me from identifying it. Little
of what I was seeing was strange to me, because for years I had been thinking
and talking about it in much this way. The Saturnian appeared aware of this, for
he stated that it was partly for this reason they had decided to give me this
close view now. He promised that, at some later date, they would show me the
other side of our Moon. “This, too,” he added, “will not be
too different from the way you have imagined it.” As the promise was made to me, the screen
showing the Moon went blank, although the other screens continued to operate.
Zuhl led me again toward the disk room, but
before we reached it the ladies came out to meet us. The six men who had come
down in the elevator with us rose from their seats as the Saturnian pilot
suggested that we return to the lounge. Once more in the beautiful and restful
lounge, I noticed that the glasses on the large oval table had been refilled.
A man whom I judged to be perhaps in his late thirties or early forties was
awaiting our arrival. As we entered the room he rose from his chair. Without
introductions of any kind, his greeting to me was as cordial as it was toward
all the others, whom he must have known well. For my part, it seemed that
here was one who was no stranger to me, and for whom I felt instantly the
deepest affection and a kind of kinship. No doubt, at one time or another, my
readers have had a similar experience. And his presence added immeasurably to
the feeling of harmony and understanding among all of us gathered in the
room. With a slight gesture of his hand, he
motioned us to seats around the table. A chair had been added, directly
opposite mine, in which he took his seat. Again Firkon sat on one side of me
and Zuhl on the other. At the invitation of the Master, who now acted as
host, each lifted his glass and sipped from it in silence. All were obviously
waiting for him to speak. His dark brown eyes sparkled as with a deep joy of
living, but I knew that they were capable of looking at my every thought. I
knew, too, that whatever he might find, he would understand and not condemn. He was a well-built man, firm of flesh.
There were no gray strands in his black, well-trimmed hair, which was very
thick and lay combed back in soft natural waves from a high forehead. The
bony structure of his face was strikingly beautiful, giving the impression of
having been endlessly refined by the spirit that dwelt therein. His glance, full of a great kindness,
traveled quickly from face to face. Then, in a voice that was soft and
vibrant, he addressed me directly. “We have been happy to show you a very
small portion of our Father’s Universe. We know of your interest in this
subject, one that has absorbed most of the years of your life on Earth. Now,
with your physical eyes you have seen registered on our instruments many
things of which you have long been aware in consciousness. These experiences
should give you confidence and greatly aid you in explaining the universal
laws to those in your world. “Never cease to point out to them, my
son, that all are brothers and sisters regardless of where they have been
born, or have chosen to live. Nationality or the color of one’s skin are
but incidental since the body is no more than a temporary dwelling. These
change in the eternity of time. In the infinite progress of all life, each
eventually will know all states. “In the endless vastness of the
Infinite are many forms. This you have seen on the two visits within our
ships, out beyond the limits of your own atmosphere. These vary in size, from
infinitely small dust particles, invisible to the human eye, to the largest
planets and suns without number. All are bathed in the sea of One Power,
supported by the One Life. “On your world you have named the many
forms which you have seen — man, animal, plant, and so on. Names are but
man’s perceptions, while in the infinite sea of space names as you use
them are meaningless. The Infinite Intelligence cannot name Itself, for It is
all-complete. And all forms have been, and always shall be, dwelling within
the Complete. “Among the many forms, the one which
you call ‘Man’ professes to possess the only true intelligence upon
your Earth. Yet this is not so. There is no manifestation upon your world or
anywhere within the limitless Universe that does not express intelligence in
some degree. For the Divine Creator of all forms is the expresser through
Creation; it is His manifestation, a thought-expression of His intelligence. “As a man, you are no more and no less
than this. For the very life by which every form is supported, and the
intelligence that expresses itself through it, is a Divine expression. “Earth man, for the most part, not
knowing this, finds much fault with many things outside his personal self,
not realizing that each form expresses its purpose and renders the service
for which it was made. “There is no form that is capable of
judging another, since all forms are but servants unto the One
Supreme. None knows all that is to be known, since none knows all that is.
This is known only to the All-Knower. But all forms, by serving willingly,
grow in understanding of the source from which they receive their wisdom: the
same life-force by which they exist. “In the full conception, all
manifestations of all forms are like beautiful flowers in a vast garden where
many colors and many kinds bloom harmoniously together. Each blossom feels
itself through the manifestation of another. The low looks up to the tall.
The tall looks down to the low. The various colors are a delight to all. The
manner of growth fills their interest and intensifies a desire for
fulfillment. In observing the beauty unfold that lies dormant within, whether
in a day or a century, design gradually becomes manifest — in color, in
a fragrance sweet to all others. Each glorifies itself by service rendered
unto others; and in turn, receives from all others. All in that great field
of beauty are the givers and the receivers, vessels through which flows a
melody from the Highest. “Thus some serve at the foot of the
throne, while others serve above the throne and all around it. Each blends
with every other, expressing only joy because privileged to serve. “It
is likewise that the Human expression which you know as man should have
learned to live in the beginning of his dwelling upon your world. But in this
lesson he failed. Had he not, your Earth would have been a garden of joy —
the garden of an everlasting desire to serve. But man, in his lack of
understanding, has destroyed the harmony of his being on your Earth. He
dwells in enmity with his neighbor, his mind divided in confusion. Peace he
has never known; true beauty he has not seen. No matter how he prides himself
on his material achievements, he lives still as a lost soul. “And who is this man that dwells in
such darkness? He is the mortal one who has failed to serve the Immortal One!
It is he who speaks of ‘The Path,’ but seeks not the way to go. It
is he who fears all things beyond the understanding of his fettered mind.
little is he who has denied the hunger of his spirit. “And the fear which man has literally
become stands firm in its guard against all life, against all things. For if
this fear should move out of its own shadow, it would cease to be. This it is
which holds man a prisoner until the end of his mortal side. “Indeed, man dwells on Earth today
desolate under the fear and dread of what he calls death — the end of
his mortal life — alone in the wilderness of his personal darkness. Yet
man himself has brought about the desolation which he so bitterly deplores,
all because of service not rendered as it is naturally rendered by the
humbler forms that surround him. Instead, man continues to destroy other life
manifestations that he may survive. He has failed to realize the richness
that these others could bestow upon him, would he allow them to serve as they
were meant to serve. “Alas, man’s plot upon Earth is
barren indeed. The seeds he sows with his small understanding yield bitter
fruit. Still he remains fettered to his ignorance, repeating his errors
through the centuries, still hoping to find that for which his heart longs,
and for which his soul cries out. “He is fearful of turning away lest
that upon which he stands—the Earthly foundation he has built for
himself — may be taken from him by another, and he will have nothing. So
he keeps guard over that which is not eternal but, by the moment, is in
process of change and decay, his eyes blind to what is happening. He has
imprisoned within himself the light that could have guided him over the road
of Eternal Oneness; a joy that all others who have gone that way have
actually become. These are the servants, sons and daughters of the One
Father, in all worlds. The Father, Creator of that beautiful field of the
many forms, the many colors, the many shades, the many heights and the many depths—the
many delights that play and express, by day and by night, the one song of celestial
harmony in which all may join.” As he spoke, pictures of his words passed
vividly before me and again my understanding of man’s plight upon Earth
was quickened. As he ceased speaking, no one stirred. Nor did I wish to break
the silence. As the pictures ceased flowing through my
mind, the Master rose from his seat opposite and walked around the table
toward me. All rose then and remained quietly standing. The great teacher touched my hand lightly,
and my whole being sang in humble gratitude for that which he had given to
me. I gladly would have stayed in his presence forever, but I knew from
previous experience that this was not to be. “My son, do not be discouraged if you
meet with ridicule and disbelief on your Earth. With the understanding we
have given, you will know why it cannot be otherwise. Tell your brothers and
sisters what you have learned. There are many with open hearts and minds, and
these will grow in numbers. “The Scout is waiting and our brothers
will accompany you back to Earth. Now that we have been together in this way,
you can the more easily at all times make contact from your mind to ours.
Remember always that space is no barrier.” His words filled me with a contentment that
allowed of no emptiness. Bidding me farewell, he turned and left the room. In
a moment, Firkon and Zuhl motioned to me. I said good-by to my new friends,
and when the lounge door slid silently open for us, we made our way across
the elevator platform and into the waiting craft. Slowly we descended, silently gliding down
the rails, away from this gigantic laboratory carrier. As we glided
Earthward, I glanced back at the large ship waiting there in space for the
return of this little one. I wondered just how large it really was. … . Although my thought remained unspoken, Zuhl
replied, “You might estimate it to be, in your figures, about three
hundred feet in diameter and something like thirty-five hundred feet in
length. These are not exact figures, but close enough.” It seemed but a matter of seconds before
the door of the Scout opened and we were back on Earth. Farewells were said
within the Scout, for the pilot did not come out with us. The Martian and I walked to where we had
left the car several hours earlier and set off on the journey to the hotel. I
glanced back toward the Scout and saw it fast disappearing from sight, far up
in our atmosphere. As on the previous occasion, we were silent
during the drive back to the hotel. I had much to think about and had no
inclination to talk. I recall that the air held an early morning freshness
and the first rays of the sun were just breaking through. So absorbed was I
in remembering the master’s words that I paid no attention to the
scenery through which we passed. When the car drew up in front of the hotel,
Firkon touched my hand in the usual manner as he said, “We shall meet
again.” I knew that we would and, although back on
Earth in body, in consciousness I was both on Earth and with my friends of
other worlds as they journeyed on through space. It was wonderful to know
that we were not separated, that we never again could be separated! This
night, a realization which had lain dormant within me throughout this present
life’s journey had suddenly blossomed into an awakening, even as the
flowers in the garden which had been described to me by the wise one. The joy
within my heart from this realization was as the melody of infinity, blended
without separation or division. And I hoped and prayed that a way might be
revealed whereby I could share this realization with others upon the Earth. I returned to my room in the hotel, but not
to sleep. My experiences of the night had so strengthened and invigorated me
that I felt like a new man, my mind awake and alert with thoughts more vivid
and swift than ever before! My heart sang with joy, and my body was freshened
as though from a long rest. There was much to be done this day, and tomorrow
I must return to my home on the mountain; but from now on I would, to the
best of my ability, live each moment as it came, complete in its fullness,
serving the One Intelligence as man is intended to do, and for which purpose
he was created. About the first of September I began to get
the feeling that soon I would again be seeing our friends from space. Often
during the summer I had watched their ships moving through our atmosphere,
but apparently the need for personal meetings had not arisen. With each day that passed I felt a greater
urgency to return again to the city. On September 8th, a friend who had been
spending some time with us at Palomar Gardens invited me to drive to Los
Angeles with her. I accepted, and at about four o’clock in the afternoon
we arrived in the city. I registered at the usual hotel, accompanied the
bellboy to my room, freshened up a bit and returned again to the lobby. To my great surprise and pleasure, there,
waiting for me, and smiling broadly, were Firkon and Ramu! After greetings were exchanged, I asked if
they were in a hurry. As if knowing my thoughts, Ramu replied, “Not in
the least. We are here to answer any questions which you have in mind —
to the best of our ability,” he added, smiling. I suggested that we go to the little
restaurant where we could eat and talk without being disturbed. As we walked
along, I said, “I suppose you are quite aware of the chief thing that is
bothering me. Firkon smiled and said, “Perhaps you
are wondering whether the answers to those mental questions you shot into
space this summer really got back to you without the wires crossed?” “Exactly!” I exclaimed with a
sigh of relief. Due to the early hour, the restaurant was
nearly empty. We sat down in a booth at the far end and ordered sandwiches
and coffee. I explained to the waitress that we had dropped in more for the
purpose of discussing a little business in a comfortable spot than to eat.
She urged us cordially to make ourselves at home, served us quickly and left
to resume her conversation with the cashier. “What about that scoutmaster in Florida,”
I asked, “and the reports that some kind of flame had been directed at
him from the Saucer?” “Never!” Firkon replied
emphatically. “We don’t do things like that. What actually happened
was that the man was frightened. Not wanting to reveal this by running away,
he began hacking at the ship with his machete, hardly knowing what he was
doing. Anyway, he came too close to the power that operates the Scout and got
burned. “To make it a little clearer,” he
went on, “you know that a rope has no fire in it, yet will cause a burn
when pulled too quickly through the hands. In much the same way, the power
emanating from the Scout passed over this man’s body very rapidly,
causing the body, acting with resistance, to be burned.” “You had a similar experience,”
Ramu reminded me, “on your first meeting with Orthon when your arm was
caught by the power pulsating below the Scout. You were not actually burned,
but you would have been had you lost your balance and fallen under the
flange. Orthon saved you by pulling you back.” I then asked how much truth there was in
the Brush Creek reportings. “Those sightings were actual,”
Firkon replied, “although the craft and people are not part of our
group. There have been many similar sightings and personal meetings with one
or more individuals apart from yours; some before and some since your first
contact. These have occurred in almost every nation in the world. Your
experience, however, was the first reported in a way to reach great numbers
of people. "Although such contacts have been
taking place for years and records of them made which were never released,
few men dare relate their experiences because of the incredulity of their
fellow men.” He added very simply, “We do not enjoy
the secrecy with which we have to make such meetings. We would far rather be
welcome to come and go, and to visit with your people as we do with those of
other worlds. But so long as our visits are not understood and are therefore
made dangerous for us and for our ships, we will have to continue with the
present caution.” I asked for information as to what had
really taken place when Captain Mantell met his death. Ramu explained, the sincerity of his
feeling showing clearly. “That was an accident which we regretted
deeply. The ship he was pursuing was a large one. Members of the crew had
noticed Captain Mantell coming toward them and knew that his interest was
sincere, not belligerent. They slowed down their craft and attempted to
contact him through his instruments. They were fully aware of the power
radiating from their ship and thought it would halt his approach without
injury to him. But as he came closer, the wing of his plane cut through this
power, allowing a suction to take place which pulled the entire plane into
it, causing an immediate disintegration of both the plane and his body. “This disintegration,” Ramu
further explained, “takes place through a magnetic radiation that
separates the molecules which hold material together, completely changing
their position. If his plane had been round, or cigar-shaped, the accident
would not have happened. His plane was not uniform in shape. The wings protruded beyond the body of the
ship, and it was a wing that was the cause of the accident. The fuselage
would not have caused sufficient suction to pull the plane in, but once the
wing was caught in the power, the remainder of the plane was sucked in so
fast that it was reduced to small pieces of debris falling to the Earth, with
some portions totally converted into dust particles. “On the other hand,” he
continued, “we can come alongside our own ships and nothing of this kind
would take place because we design our ships in a way which permits them to
equalize any impact. “The space craft’s intent was
merely to reduce speed and make an attempt to communicate with him. We had
not realized that his plane could not touch our power and stand up under it.
You will lose many, many men flying this kind of ship, and especially your
jet planes, for they are in danger not only from the radius of our power, but
they can enter natural magnetic currents that would twist and destroy them.
There are too many points sticking out from the bodies of your planes, for
once the power hits any one of them, the ship is doomed.” This completed my list of questions concerning
the outstanding contacts that had been brought to my attention during the
summer. “You have verified my impressions in each case,” I told my
companions. “Then perhaps we can try to cover in
advance some of the many questions that will be asked of you in the future,”
Firkon suggested. “As you have been told before, planets and systems are
constantly in the process of being formed, or going through the process of
disintegration. A system of planets is much like any other form — a
certain period of time is required to reach a peak of expression; then begins
the process of decline and disintegration. Long before our system was even in
the making, there were systems of planets without number on which were Human
beings such as you call mankind. “Then, as today, there was
interplanetary travel within systems and between systems. The main purpose
for such travel was the same as ours is now — to study the activities of
space in all of its phases. So, when a new planet within a system of planets
was found to be in the making, these were observed and studied closely by
travelers from many worlds. “When a new planet is found to have
developed to the point where it is ready for Human habitation — and all
planets reach that stage, sooner or later — the travelers let this fact
be known to the inhabitants of other worlds and of worlds in other systems.
Volunteers are sought who desire to go forth and develop the new world. Then
large ships take these volunteers, with all essential equipment on board, and
move them to the new planet. Frequent additional trips are made to bring
equipment and supplies to these pioneers, as needed. People are also carried
back to their native planets for visits. In this way new channels of
expression are opened and, simultaneously, a new world inhabited by mankind. “The Earth was the slowest planet in
our system to reach the stage where it was capable of maintaining Human life.
The first inhabitants of Earth were brought to it from the other planets. But
it was not long before something unexpected took place in the atmosphere
surrounding the Earth, and the transplanted people realized that within a few
centuries living conditions on this globe would not be favorable. As a
result, the first inhabitants of Earth, with a few exceptions, packed all of
their belongings into space ships and left for other worlds. The few who
chose to remain had permitted themselves to deteriorate amidst the lush
beauty and abundance of this new world and sought nothing different.
Gradually, they became content to live in natural caves and were eventually
lost in the annals of time. “On your Earth there is no record of
these earliest inhabitants other than the mythology of one of your races in
which the memory of this first civilization is preserved in what they call
the God Triton, named after the original race of Triteria. “Shortly after the departure of the
space pioneers, many natural changes took place on the Earth’s surface.
Some lands were swallowed in the depths of the waters, while others rose.
Then, once again, the world was ready for human habitation. But this time,
because of the conditions still prevailing in the surrounding atmosphere,
volunteers were not sought. Another condition that we had watched with
interest in observing the formation and development of the Earth planet was
the forming of only one moon as its companion. Under the natural law of
conditions, this would result in an unbalanced state unless at some future
time another moon was formed to complement the small companion of a growing
world.” At this point Ramu was interrupted as the
waitress came over to fill our cups with hot coffee. When she had left,
Firkon said, “Man is a strange creature! And this is true
wherever you find him throughout the vast Universe. Although the Race of Man
as a whole prefers to live in peace and harmony with all creation, here and
there a few will grow in personal ego and aggressiveness, and through greed
will desire to assume power over other men. This can happen even on our
worlds, despite the teaching which bids man live in accordance with the
Divine Laws.” “Yes,” Ramu said, “and even
though we know the evil toward which such attitudes lead, in conformity with
the universal laws, we are not free to bind these brothers in any way. So,
centuries ago, in a meeting among the teachers of wisdom on many planets, it
was decided to ship such selfish ones to new planets capable of maintaining
Human life. In such cases, the planet of slowest development in many systems
was selected for the exile of such culprits. “So, for the reasons that I have just
mentioned, the Earth in our system was chosen for the new home of these
unruly ones from many planets inside and outside of our system. These exiles
were what you on Earth call ‘trouble-makers.’ We could neither destroy
nor confine them, since that is contrary to the universal laws. But as these
people were all of the same arrogant nature, it was felt that, since none
would yield to the other, they would eventually be forced to work out their
own harmony. These are the true source of your original ‘Twelve Tribes’
on Earth. “And so they were gathered in ships
from the many planets and transported to Earth, without equipment or
implements of any kind, such as volunteers are given. All had been well
educated on their own worlds to know the soil, the minerals, the atmosphere
and the many other things necessary for physical maintenance. Here on this
new world they must use their knowledge and start with nothing more than
nature herself provided. This was for the purpose of forcing them to work and
draw upon their own talents, in the hope of bringing them back into the fold
of all who do the will of the Creator. “These are your Biblical ‘Fallen
Angels’ — the Human ones who fell from a higher state of life and
sowed the original seeds for the conditions which you now find existing in
your world. “For a long time after bringing these
people to Earth, our people of many worlds visited them often, helping and
guiding them as much as they would permit. But they were a haughty and
defiant lot, and did not welcome the help we offered. Nevertheless, after the
early clashes, for a long time they managed to live well enough with one
another. At that time Earth was indeed a ‘Garden of Eden,’ since
everything was plentiful and nature was lavish with her gifts of food and the
necessities of life. “In the joy of the new world, these
newcomers began to dwell in peace and happiness with one another, and there
was rejoicing on other planets. Then, as your Bible relates it, Man ate of
the fruit of the tree of ‘knowledge of good and evil,’ and in time
divisions entered where before there had been none. Greed and possessiveness
again became rampant amongst men and they turned one against the other. “As time went on and the population
increased, out of the original tribes arose self-exalted men who began to
differentiate between the several races. Each demanded the rulership of the
whole people, professing to have come from a planet further advanced than all
the others, and by that right entitled to the ruling power. “We continued to visit these erring
brothers, always with the hope of helping them to return to a brotherly
relationship. As time went on, however, the self-appointed rulers became more
and more powerful, and our efforts of less and less avail. The divisions
continued and increased, finally resulting in the establishment of what you
today call ‘nations.” “The establishment of nations further
separated brother from brother, and the whole of mankind lived no longer by
the Divine Law. “As a result of these divisions; many
different ways of worship arose. But even then we continued to send others
out in the hope of aiding our brothers on Earth. These men were those known
as ‘Messiahs,’ and their mission was to help their Earthly brothers
to return to their original understanding. In each instance, a few followers
would gather around these wise ones, but always they were destroyed by those
whom they had come to serve. “You have wondered why Earth is the
lowest planet in our system within a Universe of which we are all
inhabitants. I have now told you. “The people on all worlds which have
been developed by men and women who volunteered for such service have gone
steadily ahead. They have lived as the Infinite Creator intended that His
children should live. They have grown and expanded in fulfilling the will of
the Father. And each time that a group of volunteers leaves their own world
to venture forth into a new one, after the Divine Hand has prepared it for
Human habitation, they are actually entering a new school of experience
whereby they gain still greater understanding of a total Universe. Thus they
fit themselves for continuous advancement into higher and higher states of
expression and service. “Labor such as you know on Earth has
no part in their life, for as soon as the inhabitants of any planet work
under the will of their Creator, the elements in turn begin to serve them. “On Earth you have just the reverse.
For, through self-exaltation and the perversion of natural law, man turns the
elements against himself. Man warring against man is one of the most obvious
examples of this, as he directs destructively the energies intended by his
Creator for his welfare. “And that is the primary difference
between Earth’s inhabitants and the peoples of other planets. Earth man
has repeatedly attained certain peaks, only to enter into another stage of
destruction which, through misuse of the elements, has destroyed all that he
has accomplished. “Here and there, an individual lifts
himself above the majority on your world, since it is left to each man to
speed up or slow down his own evolvement. Only when Earth men learn, by their
own mistakes, that what they look upon as their strength is really weakness
when pitted against the All-Divine Intelligence, and that their ‘wisdom’
but confusion against the All-Knowledge, will they be ready to return to the
fold. “Meanwhile, we keep ourselves ever
alerted to receive the call for whatever help men of Earth may truly desire,
for they are still our brothers.” "Do you never become discouraged,”
I asked, “in the face of such overwhelming odds?” It was Firkon who said, “We know
nothing of what you call discouragement. That is a negative word. Long ago we
learned the power of faith and hope, and of never giving up. The goal lost
yesterday can be won tomorrow. This does not mean that we believe ourselves
developed to the fullest extent. Far from it. We have eternity yet to travel.
But on our worlds, we no longer have sickness or poverty, as you know it; nor
crime, as you know it. We recognize man as the highest representation of
Deity, the consummation of all lesser forms. Should we with hurtful intent
harm any form, we know that we would be forcing that form to turn from its
natural purpose and do us harm. “You can see why the Creator has left us
all to work out our own problems. When His laws are disobeyed, they witness
against us. “You speak of Satan as though he were a separate enemy. But
only by opposing the Divine principle can one create the inharmonious
conditions which you have credited to Satan, and which you yourselves must
correct. Then you will find that Satan becomes an Angel of Light, as your
Scripture tells you. For all distortion must be corrected by the one who
distorts.” As Firkon paused, Ramu’s mouth curved
in the slight, grave smile so characteristic, as he said, “The Sun rules
not the Earth; nor does the Earth rule the Sun; nor do the stars rule each
other. All are ruled by the Father. Here, from nature herself, does man begin
to learn.” For some reason, this called to mind a subject on which I had
long pondered. “In regard to what we call death and rebirth,” I
asked, “should we be able to carry memories of the one life over into
the next?” Ramu answered, “That is possible in
varying conscious degrees. Eternal man forgets nothing. But the memory of
things learned in a former body seldom manifests as more than an instinctive
knowledge of, or gravitation toward, certain familiar things. In his
conscious mind, Earth man has little understanding of why this is so. When
such aptitudes manifest in lesser degree, you label them talents or gifts.
When present to a very marked degree, and especially when present in
childhood, you call such people 'prodigies'. “Your planet is functioning under what
you might call a low frequency. As a result, the growth and development of
forms of life — and especially that of man — is slow, requiring
much time between birth and maturity. When men are born on Earth, they remain
in a helpless infantile stage for a far longer period than on other planets.
By the time they have reached manhood or womanhood, whatever memory may have
come over them with them at birth is well buried under the welter of
misconceptions with which, during all those early years, they have been filled.
“Independent of natural law, man’s
reasoning powers are very limited. The newcomer is crammed with the
traditions and conventions of past centuries, and the positive memory of
previous experience is crowded out. Such genuine memory sometimes flashes up
from what you call the subconscious into the conscious mind, through some
channel suddenly opened. This can be caused by meeting for the first time a
person whom you feel you have known, or by the sight of a place never before
visited in this life, but with which you appear to have authentic
associations and memories. All such experiences are mystifying to most Earth
people. Yet such memories are usually true memories and the explanation very
simple. “On other planets, we do not impose
such blocks on the newborn child. On the contrary, everything is done to
leave him free. We realize that each Human expression is slightly different
from every other, and that the individual background of experience serves as
a foundation for the fulfilling of that particular destiny. “The
frequency" under which a planet functions can be established only by the
inhabitants who dwell thereon. Due to the higher frequency of our planets,
those born amongst us are not subject to the slow periods of development from
infancy to maturity as on yours. With us, an average period of development
from birth through adolescence is two years as compared with your eighteen or
more. “You on Earth use the term ‘The
Law of Transmigration’ in a mistaken sense. What it really means is that
when an individual on your Earth has risen above the ignorance of his
brothers into a higher understanding of life, rebirth on another planet is
permitted. He will come through with a vivid memory of his experience on
Earth. Predominant will be his conception of the fundamental laws that govern
all life. "Memories of his daily habits, his
relationship with his family and associates, while still clear, will be
secondary. He will realize that there are no missing links between the two
stages of life, but a continuity of development uncluttered by the many names
and divisions which confused him on Earth. “Although the climb up from infancy to
maturity requires so long a period on your Earth, age and deterioration come
quickly. This is due to the old traditions and conventions which continue to
be expressed in the individual. True knowledge, no matter how long ago it was
acquired, is easily carried. But the burdens and woes of mankind repeated
over and over again, remembered through centuries, weigh insupportably on the
spirit of man. As you have seen, we do not grow old in appearance or feeling.
This is because we carry with us into each fresh day the bounty of lessons
well learned, discarding all that has proven sterile. As we let the ever new
and fresh express through us, we become that youthfulness. “Just as the dream a sculptor has when
he takes the clay into his hands will, when he has finished, decide the form
the clay will express, so it is with the Human body. Man is the sculptor of
himself, working with materials supplied by his Creator. It is man’s
conception of himself within the Universe which will mold his body and imbue
his features with beauty or with ugliness. “In your world you picture the Deity
as aged and yet eternal. This is a great contradiction, for eternity knows no
age. “Because of the endless activity going
on within the depths and on the surface of your oceans, they survive through
time. But a pond, wherein activity ceases, begins to show age by a mass of
foreign matter that slowly dims its once clear waters. What you call
stagnation has occurred. “Bodily illness and disintegration
derive from much the same process. Because you have not learned to live by
Natural Law, personal stagnation sets in. Occasionally, even in your world,
an individual can attain great age by your standards and still give the
impression of youth. This is due to an ability to preserve the qualities of
mental activity, interest and enthusiasm beyond the average. I recalled a few such people I had known
and nodded agreement. “You have indeed progressed far beyond us,” I
said. “Is it even to the point where your progress forward is never
broken?” This caused Firkon to smile. “Far from
it! But when we make mistakes they serve as lessons for our future behavior
rather than something to hide or try to justify. Moreover, when any new
territory is being explored, whether physical or of the mind, we accept some
error as inevitable. To you, what you call failure is shameful and often
exposes individuals or groups to the ridicule and censure of others. This is
a primary factor in binding Earth people to old ruts when, had they the
courage, or their fellow men enough tolerance, they would try new ways. On our
worlds, no man who sincerely tries is ever considered a failure, no matter
what the results. That man has learned something. Through his very failure,
he can make a great contribution to his fellow man. Courage and enterprise
have led him to try a new path which, if proven wrong, need not again be trod
by others. He alone has suffered willingly, and we, his brothers, commend him.”
As Firkon stopped speaking and glanced at
Ramu, I knew that this fruitful talk was at an end. Nothing needed to be said
as we rose from the booth. We settled the bill and were again out on the
street. This time Firkon and Ramu did not accompany
me back to the hotel. “I am very grateful,” I said as we took leave
of one another, the words sounding inadequate to my own ears. I stood for a moment, watching them walk
away, then turned in the opposite direction toward my hotel. Not long after our conversation in the
café, again following an impression, I found myself en route to Los Angeles.
All during the drive to that city, I was filled with a kind of joyous
anticipation that was like the remembered excitement I used to experience as
a child just before Christmas. The mental communications from my friends
of other planets were becoming more and more definite as time went on. I knew
now, for example, that this encounter would not be confined to a restaurant
on the ground, but that they would again carry me up in one of their ships. In this happy mood, the familiar beauty of
the mountains through which we rode during the first part of the journey
seemed enhanced to even greater majesty. And the valleys, surfaced with
golden yellow in the natural state, or a shining green where cultivated, filled
me with love for this Earth of ours. Surely, if mankind could learn only to
look upon it with new eyes, there could be no room left for bitterness and
strife. The time passed more quickly on this drive.
I registered at the hotel, went briefly to my room, then returned to the
lobby. Although the clock above the desk showed
the time to be only a little after 5 P.M., and I certainly was not hungry, I
felt strongly impelled to go now for something to eat at the little
restaurant, then return to wait for my friends. This I did and when, close to
six o’clock I was again about to enter the hotel, Ramu stepped up to me.
I greeted him with delight and asked if I
had kept him waiting. “Not at all,” he said, “I
knew when to expect you!” The Pontiac was parked by the curb around
the corner. As we got in, I asked about Firkon. “He is unable to come with us this
time,” Ramu said, “and asked me to tell you that he is sorry to
miss seeing you." The mood of sustained happiness and
anticipation remained with me all during the long drive out of Los Angeles
and beyond. Occasionally, we exchanged a few words but for the most part
there was little conversation. Eventually we turned off the main highway
and bumped along over a narrow road for perhaps half an hour. Searching the
darkness for a first glimpse of the Scout, at last I saw a faint glow in the
distance. As the outline became clearer, I knew from its size that it must be
the Saturnian Scout, or a similar ship. It was the same, and Zuhl was there to
greet us. The journey to the hovering mother ship was quickly over. “Is
this … ?” I began, and Zuhl smiled and nodded, “The Saturnian
ship you were on before? — Yes.” The landing procedure was
accomplished exactly as on the previous visit. As Zuhl led me in the direction
of the large lounge, he paused a moment and said, “It was the Master
himself who asked that we bring you tonight. This visit is entirely that he
may talk to you." If it was possible for my joy to mount higher, it did
so on hearing this. On entering, I was struck anew with the
beauty of this room, and the harmony that filled it. All whom I had met
before were present, and no strangers except for two beautiful women who
resembled one another closely enough to be twins. I guessed, before
introductions were made, that these were Saturnian women. On the right
sleeves of their blouses, near the shoulder, were the same insignia I had
seen on the shirts of the Saturnian men on the last visit. After my friends
had welcomed me, I exchanged greetings with the two lovely strangers. There
were differences both in their persons and garments from those of the other
women. Since they remained standing close to me, I had an opportunity to
check these in detail. Both women had very dark brown hair and eyes, and
thick curling lashes. The complexions were of an almost startling whiteness
with a rose cast in the cheeks; the lips were full and red. Both appeared to
have a greater vivacity of manner than the other women. I believe, however,
that this had nothing to do with the fact that they were Saturnians, but was
rather a characteristic of their own personalities. They wore light-blue blouses with long,
full sleeves drawn in tightly at the wrists. These blouses were more like
short jackets and were finished at the neck with a narrow rolled collar. The
skirts were of the same color and material. The latter appeared very light in
texture and of a quite different weave from any I had seen. The full skirts
had wide waistbands and were ankle length, like those of the other women. They
wore fawn-colored sandals on their small feet. I did not see the Master and presumed that
the reason all remained standing was in expectation of his entrance. “There is quite a bit of activity on
the part of your Air Force tonight,” Ramu told me, “and the ship is
now rising. We shall probably remain hovering at about ninety thousand feet
from your Earth.” Needless to say, I did not feel, nor had I
felt, any movement whatsoever. At this point the Master entered and all
turned toward him. As his eyes met mine, he smiled and walked
on to where a table was surrounded by low chairs with arms, covered with
attractively upholstered material of an appearance something like dull silk. Ramu led me over and the Master indicated
that I take the place on his right. One of the Saturnian ladies sat on my
other side and while the people were settling into their seats, I seized the
opportunity to ask if she could explain the meaning of the insignia. She
obligingly twisted around so that I could examine the one on her right shoulder
and said, “It denotes that Saturn is the Tribunal of this system.”
Although I did not know exactly what she meant by “tribunal,” she
did not explain further. The design consisted of a sphere encircled by a ring
(much as the ringed planet appears through our telescopes), and inside the
sphere was a balanced pair of scales. Thanking her, I settled back into my chair
and found it difficult to believe that anything could be so comfortable. Not
even our air cushions yield to and yet support the body as did that chair.
The Master began to speak. “My son, if some of what you will hear
tonight seems repetitious, it is because the things of which I shall speak
are important to your understanding, and perhaps a fuller explanation will
help you to retain them.” I was glad to hear him say this, since,
even with the telepathic help which had been promised me, I still worried for
fear I might not remember it all. “A great fallacy which has grown on
the people of Earth,” the Master said, “is the custom of dividing
into many parts that which should never be divided. You have multiple
divisions in forms and teachings, many firm likes and dislikes, all of which
serve only to add to the state of confusion on your planet. “We of other worlds have no such
divisions but realize the relationship and the interdependence of all things.
I know that you have felt deeply the power and radiance of our conception of
Deity there on the wall before you. By keeping always this image visual
before our eyes, and remembered in our hearts, we never forget that within
Him all forms have their being. “He is the giver of what you call
'life’ unto men. He is also the giver of life through us to our
creations in which He is the instructor of what is to be created. He it is
who knows how the minerals and the elements are to be combined — not
only to serve us, but the Universe as well, ever better as they are brought
up through the experiences of one form, to be fitted for a higher form. We on
Venus, and on other planets in varying degrees of evolvement, recognize the
minerals and elements as the essence of ever-active Divine expression, with a
steady newness. And therefore monotony, as you know it on Earth, can never
be. “So, as the creation of a Divine
Creator of the total Universe is respected by us, so also is the creation of
Man who guides the elements in different channels of service likewise
respected and honored. In turn, the elements become desirous to serve better
each day that they, too, may rise to a higher standard of service . . . a
service which shall never cease, for it is eternal. “As an example, that you may
understand this more clearly, the bit of iron which you find among the
minerals of your Earth serves you in one particular channel. Yet by
impregnating this iron with a force which you call ‘electricity’
the iron changes from a previous service to another type of service called ‘magnetic.’
Therefore it has been endowed with a power of attraction which it did not
have before. This is what we mean by elements or minerals evolving for a
better service. For first it was merely the mineral iron; then it reached a
higher state of service where it was able to attract, which in the original
state it could not do. And so, on and on, this iron can evolve toward higher
and higher service rendered unto its Creator. “So you see what is meant when I speak
of the minerals and the other elements serving man. By doing this, they
themselves are endowed with certain powers of comprehension through serving
the All-inclusive Intelligence. This law, I believe, is known to you on Earth
as the Law of Transmutation, or the Law of Evolution. “A Human body like yours and mine is
composed of elements as well as minerals. And you can prove that these
elements and minerals which compose your body do obey the impressions placed
upon them. For if the impressions are of a joyous nature, the being called ‘Man’
is joyful. But if of an angry state, then the body expresses that, proving
that the minerals and the elements within it are constantly serving the
Intelligence. Without it they cannot rise to a higher state of expression. “You Men of Earth continually invite
disaster by creating combinations which are opposing each other rather than
working together. You have made of yourselves something other than your
Divine origin. You have added many false concepts to your being instead of
remaining natural; like a beautiful woman who is exalted in beauty, yet adds
many trinkets that finally exalt themselves above her beauty. You have done
the same by adding that which had no true life or intelligence. Let me point
out to you something inherent in the being of Man by which we live on the
planet Venus, while you do not, though these principles apply to yours as
well as other worlds. “You claim that you are a being made
up of five senses, and list others to be added — the sixth, seventh, and
so on. You seek to develop these arbitrarily conceived senses instead of
understanding and developing those which do exist. In professing that there
are powers of clairvoyance, clairaudience, mental telepathy, or extra-sensory
perceptions, you thereby divide one total phase of expression into at least
four separate classifications. And, as a result, your true identities have
become muddled and lost. “Let me elucidate this a little. In
the first place, you are a product by mineral and elements of what you call
nature. In the second place, as an intelligent expression of that form, you
are a product of your Divine Creator. The mineral and elemental part of your
being has been endowed with four avenues, or senses, through which it
expresses in what you call a physical manifestation. Intelligence or divinity
expresses through every cell of the entire form which you have labeled
physical. “The four senses to which I have just
referred are sight, hearing, taste and smell. Observe that I did not mention
the sense you on Earth speak of as ‘touch.’ Because touch is the intelligence
that precedes all others. “Let me explain it this way. No one in
any world can build a form like yours, or cause it to live as do you. This
can be done only by the Creator of the Universe. Therefore, you must admit
that when conception of a form takes place within a form, that mother-to-be
knows not what is to be done for the perfect construction of another body.
Yet the conception grows toward a complete manifestation, until finally it is
born into what you call the physical world. “When it is born, this complete form
has eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The eyes see, and the ears hear sounds for
the first time; the nose smells and the palate tastes for the first time.
These were all created as parts of the body. As the body witnesses the
physical world for the first time, so do these four avenues of expression,
for they are of the body. Yet the mother of this form knew not how it was
built. “But the sense of touch, which
I omitted from the group of senses, did know. For remember, while the little
one was still in the building process within the mother’s body, if a
pressure was put onto the mother’s body, the body within was also
alerted to that pressure. And notice the separation between the two, for when
the body to be born was ready to make a change within the mother, the mother
neither controlled nor instructed this action, which does separate, in this
case, the sensation into two distinct reactions — the mother’s and
the child’s. This proves that each operates in the field of sensation or
feeling independent of the other. Yet they are a body within a body. Also
proving that this thing called ‘touch’ or ‘feeling’ is
acting in the field of intelligence, knowing what to do and when to do it. It
seems to be the ‘knower.’ “When we take this into consideration
for the purpose of analyzing, the sense of touch is recognized as a cardinal
one, or in reality the soul of the body — part of the all-inclusive
intelligence. For it is a feeling — and feeling, as you know it, is a
state of alertness, or conscious consciousness as we know it. “Now, when this consciousness leaves
the body of minerals and earth known as man, the eyes, the ears, the
taste and the smell no longer function. For when the body becomes unconscious
it does not recognize anything like a touch. In other words, you could beat
that body and it would not have the sensation which is called feeling or of
being touched. “On the other hand, if one loses the
eyes, loses the hearing, the taste and the smell, but retains the sense of
touch, which is consciousness, one is more or less alive and intelligently
operating. And when the body is then struck with something, it feels that
touch or hurt, where it did not in the previous state. “Thus it is easy to see that the real
intelligence of the body called ‘man’ is that which has been so
misused and mislabeled, the sense known to you as touch, which is the soul or
the life of that body. The Human body — and the same is true of all
other forms — is actually constructed for services that its minerals and
elements will render through the four major physical avenues of
expression. While the fifth, touch, is a universal one which gives
sensation to the other four. Once this touch sense leaves the other four have
no power of sensation or operation. “When man realizes this fact, he then
finds himself as the real person behind the mask. And when this is done, the
limited prison in which he has lived for so long dissolves, and he becomes a
dweller of the Universe. As such, he sees the law in operation in every form,
regardless of what that form may be, and including the planet itself upon
which he is living. Then does man know himself! And by so doing, he
knows all things. Also he knows his. Creator as he has never known Him
before, which is the Universal or Divine Intelligence. “It is through this recognition or
understanding that mineral man rises to a condition of unity with the Father,
wherein the Father and the Son become one. Once the man of Earth learns this
and realizes it, not knowing it with his mind alone, but by living it as we
have done, he shall have the same joy in life as we have on other planets. “As your Bible says, the prodigal son
has thus returned home by giving up his physical mineral vanities and making
these serve him for the service of his Father, rather than he serving them. “Of course, my son, you know this Law
and have been trying to live as well as teach it for years. It is neither new
to you nor is it any original teaching of yours. It is a Universal Law which
all men must know and live if they hope to enjoy their Divine birthright as
sons of the Father. “You must impress, as best you can,
understanding in the minds of your brothers on Earth that knowledge of
themselves is the first requisite. And the first questions: “Who am I? Through
what avenues can I express in order to return to the oneness from which I
have fallen?” “Remind them that Man has nothing to
add. He has only to express that which already is his. But he must learn to
understand what it is he has, and live this understanding. For it is
the living that is important. Once this is accomplished, the Earthly Man’s
woes will soon vanish. For then these elements which are used in making up
the four senses of sight, hearing, taste and smell will begin to evolve to
where they will become more sensitive instruments, not only to serve in what
you call the physical world, but also in service of the universal. “Another fact which Earth men must
realize is that ‘Universal’ includes the physical within itself,
not outside it. For everything which takes place within the Universe is also
within the Divine or Supreme Intelligence — not outside it. That is why we are as much concerned with
your world and your life as we are with our own, for we are all in the same
Kingdom of the Supreme Intelligence. “We have learned and lived this for
all these hundreds and thousands of years. Because of this understanding, we
cannot injure with a motive of injuring as you do on Earth. For we know that
we would have to live with whatever we distorted, since all is within the
same household. “Once the mind of physical man rises
to this degree of understanding, it does not see anything as ugly or
unpleasant, but sees all in the process of going toward the Holiness of
beauty and exaltation. “As Earth men consider this Law, they
will see and understand how all is working from the low to the high, which is
the universal purpose; and not from the high to the low. Yet the power
expresses from the high even unto the low that the low may have the strength
to rise unto the high. There is eternal blending, but never division. Knowing
this Law, the inhabitants of our planets have used it for their development
and through its use have grown to a recognition of everlasting life and the
role of all therein.” The thought of overpopulation flashed
through my mind as this is so often a topic of concern for nations on Earth.
Without the slightest interruption, this man of great wisdom answered my
thought. “No, my son. We are not overpopulated
and such a condition never threatens us, as it does your people of Earth. For
we do not replenish without thought or planning as do you. There is a natural
law of balance by which we abide. Besides, those who have attained much
knowledge on one planet may, if they choose, seek rebirth on another. Toward
this end they have two choices. They may make this change through the channel
of birth, or be taken direct by a ship, still in the same body. This has
happened many times, even on Earth. The vast majority have advanced from the
Earth toward another planet through rebirth. Others, though few, have been
taken direct as your Bible tells you. “Death takes place upon other planets
the same as on Earth. But we do not call it death, and we do not mourn for
those who have left, as you on Earth do. We know this leaving means only a change
from one condition or place to another. We realize that it is no more than a
moving out of one house and into another. “We cannot take our houses with us
when we go from one place to another. Neither can we take a body, which is
the house, from one world to another in death. The material of your Earthly
bodies belongs to Earth, and must remain there to maintain your world. But
when you move from Earth to another planet, that world will lend you of its
materials to build a house according to the needs and conditions that exist
there. “Earth Man’s concept of the
Universe is very small. He cannot conceive of a Universe without limits. Yet
he uses the word eternity. Eternity, according to man’s own definition,
denotes no beginning and no ending. Then how vast is the Universe? As vast as
eternity. “So man is not a temporary
manifestation. He is an eternal manifestation. And those of us who
have learned this truth are living in a constant present, for it is always
the present. “We of Venus dress much as you do, and
we do many things in a similar way. There is no great difference between our
form and yours, or in the garments for that form. The great difference lies
in our understanding of who we are. “Since we have learned that life is
all-inclusive and that we are that life, we know that we can hurt
nothing without hurting ourselves. And life, to be life eternally, must
remain in a prime state of its being, and to express this, must be ever new. “Therefore, as I have said, monotony
is never experienced by us. Each moment that passes is a joyous one. And it
matters not what work we have to do. If what you call labor needs to be done,
we do it with full joy and love in our being. And on our planet, each day
brings its quota of things to be done, exactly as on yours. Every man and
every form is respected alike for the services they render. None are judged
as to shortcomings. It makes no difference as to the kind of service
undertaken, be it what you call menial or not. All services are equally
acknowledged. “People on Earth have been given this
Law,for it was brought there by those who knew of it and who at one time
practiced it on other planets. It was expressed in the building of Solomon’s
temple. The hiring of labor in the vineyard where all alike were paid a penny
at the end of the day, as recounted by Jesus, your Messiah, was an
acknowledgment of the equal honor in serving.” As the great Master paused and passed his
hand lightly over his brow, I realized that I had been listening with such
intentness that I had not stirred. Moving my body to a different position, I
waited for him to resume speaking. “Although the air on all planets
differs slightly, contrary to the present beliefs of your scientists, Earth
man could go anywhere in the Universe without discomfort. Indeed, this will
be his natural heritage once he attains an understanding of himself and
realizes the great adaptability of his form.” Again he paused and bowed his head slightly
as though in meditation before he continued. “We have developed to a
degree of conscious perception which does not permit us to sit amongst any
group of people without the thought of blessing. For their very presence
before us is a blessing because we do not see them merely as people,
but as the Divine Intelligence in a living state through a form known as
Human. Our awareness is the same toward every form outside the Human. “We see the Divine Consciousness
expressing Itself through the growth of any and all forms, from the smallest
to the largest. We have learned that nothing, no form whatever, can be what
it is without life passing through it, or supporting it. And the life we
recognize is the Divine Supreme Intelligence. “Never a moment passes, even in sleep,
that we are not aware of this Divine Presence. “This is the true purpose of the form ‘Man’
… that for which he was created. For, while all other forms give
expression in their particular field of service, his is the evolved form of
mineral and elements capable of expressing the highest state of Divine
Intelligence. “We are not on guard against one
another, nor do we covet anything belonging to others. For we are all equal
participants of the goods of our planets.” I understood clearly all that this great
Teacher of other worlds was saying, but a question entered my mind. I
wondered how they viewed killing for food, if they did kill, or even
consuming fruit and vegetables, since these too were living in their own form
of expression. And as always, the answer came without my speaking. “There is nothing illogical in this,
my Son. When you eat a lettuce leaf, it becomes a part of you, does it not?
As a result, from then on it begins to experience things with you. So what
you have actually done is to transmute one form into your own form. Had this
not been the case, the lettuce leaf would have matured, then gone to seed in
order to replenish its own kind again, and that would have been its total
experience. But by serving you, it has been elevated to a higher service
through you. “Motive also enters into this principle.
If your motive is to destroy or injure or exploit, then it is wrong. But if
your motive embraces the service you can render another form by bringing it
up to your standard, through you, then it is right. For you are really
transmuting a mineral from one state to another that it may be of still
greater service. In doing this, you are acting according to the law of growth
or development, of times called ‘evolution’ in your world. This is
the Law of your Creator. “The people of your world make much of
form — disintegration — not realizing the Law of Elevation, because
they have begun to think that the form is all there is. But the form is only
a channel through which life, or intelligence, expresses. All-Inclusive
Intelligence cannot express through a lettuce leaf. So the lettuce leaf must
be transmuted by gradual stages into a higher form through which to express
greater service. That is the way it is rewarded. “When this Law is fully accepted and lived
by your Earth Men as it has been accepted and lived by inhabitants of
other planets and systems, the atmospheric conditions of Earth will be
sweetened. For every form will then give off joyous radiations from itself
that will permeate the air within which Mankind lives. “You have wanted to know by what method
we have evolved to the state in which we are now living. These are the
fundamental laws by which we live, and by which Earth men can also evolve, if
they choose to accept and live them. “When men of Earth have learned that
they are not the body or the house, but merely the occupant of the
body or the house, they can build homes anywhere they will, for they too will
become masters of elements instead of being mastered by them. “While you of Earth have come into a
knowledge of governing certain elements to certain points, misuse of your
knowledge is widespread, and the elements are turning to destroy you, as many
other civilizations on your Earth have been destroyed in the past. “This is the stage in which we find
Earth men today. We can but continue trying to help wherever opportunity
presents itself, but it is difficult to reach in sufficient numbers minds so
little developed as those of Earthly men." The Master was silent for a moment. Then he
said, “This is not the first time you have been brought into our ships,
nor will it be the last. You may rest assured that we of other worlds from
time to time will bring you truth that you may pass it on to your fellow Men
of Earth. We will tell you of the physical life of other worlds, as well as
what you call spiritual or religious truths, although we do not make that
kind of division. There is but one life. That life is all-inclusive,
and until Men of Earth realize that they cannot serve or live two lives, but
only one, they will be constantly opposing one another. That is one major
truth that must be learned by all Earth men before life on your world
can match life on other planets “And now, my son, it is time for your
return to Earth. What you have learned can be of great value to the people of
your Planet. Speak to them by word of mouth and by written word. Do not fear
lest you forget any of what you have been told. For as you speak or write,
with the first thought a continuous flow of memory will come to you." In this beautiful ship of another world
there was peace. The lesson of the night had been deep in understanding and
meaning. Somehow, I knew that all had heard this same lesson, perhaps many
times throughout their lives. But it seemed to be one that they loved, as if
in the telling a new something opened within each listener and he grew larger
in his own understanding. Again I wished I need not return to Earth,
but that I might remain with these gracious friends and journey with them to
other worlds. But the Wise One said, “Son, there is much yet to be done
on your Earth. The people are hungry and must be fed. You will return and
share with them this food of the spirit that they may not perish in the
darkness of ignorance that has prevailed upon your Earth throughout so many generations.”
On the journey back I seemed still to hear
the Master’s words falling with gentle insistence against my
consciousness in the silence that remained unbroken by either Ramu, Zuhl or
myself. It was the same during the drive back to
the city. I vaguely remembered taking leave of the pilot of the Scout, but I
do not think any words were exchanged. When Ramu stopped at the entrance of the
Hotel, I slowly stepped out onto the sidewalk. Then I turned, dimly aware of
something I wanted to say. Although Ramu probably knew what it was before I
myself, he waited quietly, understanding in his eyes and the grave smile on
his lips. Then, suddenly, it came to me. “The
mental message I received this time,” I said, “it seemed so much
clearer … I seemed to know more certainly when I left for Los Angeles
what was going to happen. Did the Master himself contact me mentally this
time?” “Yes,” Ramu said, “he did.
And that is largely responsible for the difference, although your own ability
to receive is growing.” “But the — the exaltation of
spirit I felt,” I went on, stumbling in an effort to express it. “I
am sure that that must have come to me through the Master.” “Yes,” Ramu said again, “he
is one of the most evolved beings still functioning within our system. Just
to be in his presence is to grow in love and understanding. We are all
fortunate.” We said our farewells and I went into the
Hotel. As always after such meetings, I had no
desire to sleep. This time I did not even look to see what time it was. I
know that I stood a long while at the window, looking up, not down. I had the
strange feeling of separation within myself that I had experienced before,
only this time there was no sadness in it. I believe I may have spoken my
thoughts aloud. “It is one. it is all one. There and here and
everywhere. There is no separation...." 13: The Banquet and a
Farewell The next contact occurred on August 23,
1954. Desmond Leslie was in Los Angeles at the time for the purpose of
fulfilling a lecture engagement. He knew that I was about to have this
contact and was most anxious to be taken with me. While I too hoped for this,
the Brothers, for reasons which they did not give, were not able to grant the
request. As I look back, I think it was because the nature of some of the
things which were shown and explained to me this time were not designed for
one without previous contacts. My friends Firkon and Ramu met me as usual. En
route to the Scout, Firkon said, “I must tell you that tonight’s
meeting will be a farewell for you and for us. After we bring you back to
your hotel tonight, we return to the Scout, and then on out to the carrier
which will take us back to our home planets. Our mission on Earth is
fulfilled.” A great sadness surged up in me. Ramu said quickly, “But you are losing
us only in bodily form. Don’t forget that we can still communicate
mentally, wherever we are. I took what comfort I could from this thought, but
at the moment it seemed little enough." Then Firkon said, his voice full of
comprehension, “You are our friend, and all the space that may stretch
between us can never change that.” I felt ashamed of my emotion. Although I
could not entirely banish it, I did manage to rise above it to some extent. I found myself ondering if some other “contact”
man, or men, living temporarily on our Earth, might possibly be assigned to
meeting me in future. But to this unspoken question, neither vouchsafed an
answer. I was left with the feeling that this might indeed be farewell, at
least for some time to come, not only to the two friends between whom I now
sat as we rode along, but to any further excursions into space. This emotion, as I think can be imagined,
lent to all the new and wonderful things I was to see this night a poignancy
which quickened my deep appreciation. This, added to the gratitude for what
had already been granted, produced a fullness in my heart that I could never
put into words. Inasmuch as I have already described in detail
a journey in this same Scout, I shall state only that I found Orthon awaiting
us with the little ship hovering slightly above the ground, ready for an
immediate take-off. On this trip we did not even sit down. I divided my
attention between watching the changing graphs and Orthon at the control
panels. As we entered the Venusian carrier, this time I was entirely free of
any dropping sensation in the pit of my stomach. We reached the platform and
stopped again, as on our first trip. The same man was there to attach the
clamp over the Scout for its recharge, but this time he followed us down the
steps and into the Lounge. Immediately on entering, I was struck by a
general air of festivity. There were a great many people present whom I had
never seen before. I was delighted when I saw Ilmuth and Kalna coming forward
to greet me warmly. “Did anyone tell you about the
surprise we have for you tonight?” Kalna asked, and without waiting for
a reply continued enthusiastically, “A certain promise made to you will
be fulfilled!” While Kalna was speaking, Ilmuth had given
me a goblet of the delicious fruit juice. I noticed that both girls were
dressed in pilot uniforms and I felt sure this meant a trip into space. There were many men present and eight
women, including Kalna and Ilmuth. The other women were dressed in the same
kind of lovely gowns the latter two had worn when first I met them. The men
were in comfortable shirts and trousers. Again everyone wore sandals. Although no introductions were made, I did not
miss them, for all greeted me as friends, and a few even called me by name.
When the salutations were over, I became aware of soft music in the
background, a little reminiscent of what we call Oriental. Although Ramu had been given a goblet of
the juice, I noticed that my other friends did not join us. This was
explained when Ilmuth said, “We must go to our posts now to carry out
the surprise Kalna mentioned. This time, Ramu will stay with you.” As Orthon and Kalna left in one direction,
Firkon and Ilmuth started toward the opposite end of the ship. Ramu and I
sipped our drinks in silence for a few moments. I was happy to be a part of
the warmth and joyousness that pervaded this room. It helped to keep in the
background the feeling of sadness over the parting that would take place
tonight. Several groups were playing games that were
strange to me and Ramu, noticing my interest, suggested that we stroll around
for a closer view. Four of the men were seated at a small
table playing a game with cards. These were quite different from ours, though
much the same size. There were no numbers on them, but all had markings
representing something. I looked to see if any two were alike, but, so far as
I could see, none were. Another group of men were rolling little
colored balls along a smooth board. I guessed that these must have been
charged with some kind of magnetism, since there were no grooves in the board
and yet the balls did not move freely. Certain ones seemed to do the
attracting, drawing the others toward them. Another game somewhat resembled our table
tennis, except that two balls were kept in play simultaneously, for which
great skill was obviously required. The women seemed very good at this. I was struck by the absence of loud
talking, laughing or other distractions. Everyone was obviously enjoying
himself, and able to do so without becoming raucous over it as so often
happens on Earth. Nor did anyone seem to take the games seriously, as so many
of us do. The atmosphere was one of gaiety and relaxation.
Often the players glanced up at us with friendly smiles. Some spoke to us and
I found myself still amazed to hear these people speaking so fluently in my
tongue. After awhile, Ramu suggested, “Shall we go to the Control Room?
There are some things to show you in there which I am certain you will find
interesting.” With our drinks still in hand, I gladly
followed him into the large room with the many charts, graphs and instruments
which I had seen on my first visit to this ship. As we entered, Ramu must have touched a
button for I saw two very small seats rise as if by magic out of the floor.
And at the same time, directly in front of them, I saw our Moon appear in the
center of a large screen. I was amazed at how close it looked, and not at all
as if pictured on a screen, but with depth of space all around it. So this
was the surprise! For a moment I thought we might be actually coming in for a
landing. Ramu said, “You are now looking at the
familiar side of your Moon, but we are not landing on it. The image is being
reflected on the screen from one of the telescopes which was not in operation
the first time you were with us. Look closely as we approach the surface and
you will note considerable activity. In the numerous large craters which you
see from Earth you will notice very large hangars — which you do not
see! Notice, too, that the terrain here is very similar to your deserts. “We have built these hangars on such a
scale in order that much larger ships than this one can enter easily. Also within
these hangars are living quarters for a number of workers and their families,
provided with every comfort. Water in abundance is piped in from the
mountains, just as you have done on your Earth for the purpose of bringing
fertility to your desert areas. “When a ship enters these hangars, a
process of depressurizing the passengers takes place. This requires about
twenty-four hours. Were this not done, the people would experience the
greatest discomfort in stepping out on the Moon. Such a depressurization
process is not yet conceivable to Earthlings. They understand too little
about the bodily functions and their control. Actually, Human lungs are able
to adjust themselves to very low as well as high pressure, if deflation or
inflation is not done too quickly. If hurried, death would result.” I would gladly have undergone the necessary
deflation for the privilege of actually landing on the Moon. There was
nothing demanding my immediate return to Earth. But with a sympathetic smile, Ramu said, “We
have many things in store for you besides showing you the other side of your
satellite before we return you to Earth. Watch closely now, for we are
approaching the Moon’s rim. Notice those clouds forming. They are light
and appear to be coming from nowhere, as clouds often do. Most of them gain
no density whatsoever but dissipate almost immediately. Yet, under favorable
conditions, some occasionally do gain density. It is the shadows of these
which have been seen through telescopes from Earth. “Now we are approaching the side never
seen from Earth. Look at the surface directly below us. See, there are
mountains in this section. You can even see snow on the peaks of the higher
ones, and a growth of heavy timber on the lower slopes. On this side of the
Moon are a number of mountain lakes and rivers. You can see one of the lakes
below. The rivers empty into a very large body of water. “Now you can see a number of
communities of varying sizes, both in the valleys and on the mountain slopes.
Preferences of people here, as anywhere else, vary in regard to living at one
or another altitude. And here, as elsewhere, the natural activities to
support life are very similar to those wherever mankind is found. “Had we time to land and be
depressurized,” Ramu went on, “and then travel about, you would
personally meet some of the people. But as far as studying the surface of the
Moon is concerned, the way you are viewing it now is far more practical.”
I realized the truth of this as a
fair-sized city assembled on the screen in front of us. Actually, we seemed
to be drifting over the rooftops, and I could see people walking along clean,
narrow streets. There was a more thickly built-up central section which I
assumed to be the business district, although it was not crowded with people.
I noticed no cars of any kind parked along the streets, although I did see
several vehicles, moving just above the streets, since they appeared
to have no wheels. In size they were comparable to our buses, varying from
one another in about the same degree. Ramu explained, “A few of the people
here do have their own conveyances, but for the most part they depend on the
public utilities at which you are looking.” Just outside the city proper was a
comparatively large cleared section with an immense building along one side.
It looked like a hangar and Ramu confirmed this by saying, “We have to
construct a few hangars near the cities for convenience in landing with the
supplies we bring to the population here — everything not available
locally for their needs. In exchange, they furnish us with certain minerals
found on the Moon.” As I watched, the city seemed suddenly to
retreat and Ramu told me that we were now traveling back into space between
the Moon and the Earth. “Have you any questions before we return to the
lounge?” he asked. I could think of none and shook my head. “In that case,” he said, his eyes
sparkling, “we had better move on to the Lounge. A banquet is in
preparation to celebrate the return home of Firkon and myself.” Again I felt ashamed of the emotion that
rose at this reminder of the imminent parting, and overcame it by mentally
putting myself in their places. Wouldn’t I be happy in their
circumstance? I would, indeed! “Any tears I may shed will be for
myself alone,” I said, striving for the light touch. “For you I am
happy.” Orthon and Kalna met us at the door and we
entered the lounge together. I saw that the large table on one side of the
room had been set for service. Some of the women who had before been playing
games were now putting on the finishing touches. When Firkon and Ilmuth came in by the far
door, Kalna joined her friend and the two girls left the room together. In a
few minutes they returned, having changed from their pilot suits to lovely
flowing robes. A beautiful cloth of gold and yellow fiber
covered the table, woven in colored designs with no definite pattern. Places
had been laid the full length and on both sides. The table “silver”
was somewhat different in design from ours, and rather improved, I thought.
It seemed to be made of various metallic combinations, beautifully inlaid.
There was one chair at the head of the table and I counted fourteen on either
side. As Kalna and Ilmuth rejoined us, we were asked to be seated. There were
still only the eight women present, which left the men twenty-one in number,
including myself. Ramu sat on the Master’s right and
Firkon on his left. Ilmuth was placed between Ramu and myself, and Kalna
opposite, between Firkon and Orthon. After all were seated, the Master rose
and for several moments the room was filled with a reverent stillness. Then,
speaking in soft, distinct tones, the great teacher spoke these words: “We thank the Infinite for present
substance. May each and every one within Thy vast kingdom be equally provided.
Let this food strengthen our bodies that they may serve the Divine Spirit
which dwells within them in ways pleasing to Thee, Creator of all life.”
After he had delivered this beautiful
prayer, all joined again in a moment of silence. Then, before resuming his seat, the Master
said, “We are gathered here tonight to celebrate with great rejoicing
the successful fulfillment of the mission on Earth performed by two of our
Brothers present. Firkon and Ramu have done well. We share their happiness in
the reward for their efforts which permits them to return to their home
planets." Crystal clear goblets containing pale
golden liquid were on the table before each guest. As the Master finished
speaking, he raised his glass, saying, “Let us drink in blessing to one
another and to our fellow men everywhere.” As I raised the goblet to my lips, I was
aware of a most delicate fragrance and sipped the contents very slowly in
order to lose none of the bouquet. It did not appear to be of an intoxicating
nature but perhaps like many wines could have had that effect if taken in
excess. As we lifted our glasses in honor of Ramu
and Firkon, soft music that came from some invisible source filled the room.
It was like no music I had ever before heard, seeming to vibrate through all
my being; a melody strange and beautiful, with only occasional strains that
were similar to Earthly music. Since this was the first time I had been
privileged to dine with those of other worlds, I was naturally curious to
learn to what extent their food might resemble ours. At each end of the table, and in the
center, were beautiful bowls filled with fruit. One variety looked exactly
like large rosy apples, each with stem intact. I anticipated the crisp
juiciness as I accepted one offered to me. Yet when I bit into it, I found
the flesh of this fruit had the consistency of a firm, ripe peach, and the
flavor was rather like a cross between a cherry and an apple. The core
contained one large seed that looked like an immense apple seed. Another fruit resembled gigantic
raspberries, both in appearance and flavor. The smallest of these berries was
at least four times the size of our largest. Placed at intervals along the table were
large pitcher-like containers holding a variety of fruit juices and other
drinks. This explained the several goblets of different sizes in front of
each place. The second drink I tried tasted like pure raspberry juice. Food was served to us by the two women who
had seated themselves on either side at the end of the long table. First they
brought steaming dishes of vegetables from the service table which stood
against the wall close by. One contained what looked like ordinary carrots,
but I found the consistency not so firm, and the flavor a kind of sweet-sour.
A second vegetable looked like the familiar potato. These, though peeled,
were served in their natural shape. They had a slight yellow tinge and,
although none of the coarse fiber of a parsnip, tasted more like that
vegetable. Another vegetable which I tried had the leaves and coloring of
parsley and a mild lemon flavor. There were many other vegetables which I
did not try. A light eater by nature, tonight my emotions were so divided
that I found myself with almost no appetite at all. I tried in vain to banish
from my thoughts the purpose of this celebration. Firkon and Ramu, my good
friends, would be leaving for their far distant homes.... I did, however, accept a small piece of
very coarse and quite dark bread, and a strip of what at first I took to be
meat. The bread had a crust of golden color and tasted as though made chiefly
of nuts, although I thought I detected a grain flavor as well. As I chewed
the brownish strip of “meat” and mentally compared its flavor to
that of well-cooked beef, Kalna called to me from across the table. “That is the dried root of a Venusian
plant,” she explained. “On Venus we cook the fresh plant, and then
it tastes even better, but on our trips we carry it in dried form. It is
especially nourishing as it contains all proteins found in meat and is easier
for the human body to absorb. One strip of this root as served here is
equivalent to one pound of your steak. It also makes excellent seasoning for
other foods.” To finish the meal, a huge cake was served.
Although this had the appearance of what we call angel food, as it was cut I
saw that it did not have the somewhat spongy-elastic consistency of that
cake. Moreover, though chiefly white, there were yellow streaks throughout.
The texture was very fine and literally seemed to melt in the mouth. It
tasted faintly sweet, although when the yellow was separated from the white,
the flavor altered in a way difficult to describe. On the whole, I found it
delicious. As I observed the others around the table
and listened to their merry conversation, I realized that no one was eating
heavily of the abundance of food, as so often happens at banquets on Earth.
Yet all seemed to be enjoying it. At the end of the repast, the women and a
number of men arose from their seats and cleared away the dishes. In the
miraculous way with which I had become familiar, large doors suddenly opened
out into a kitchen from the wall behind the table, which had appeared
entirely solid. Into this room everything was carried. In a moment the guests
returned to their chairs and the doors closed behind them. Now the background of music ceased as one
of the men rose from his seat. Without accompaniment of any kind, he sang a
song in his native tongue. While I could not understand the words, I listened
enthralled to the beauty of his voice. When he had finished, Ilmuth said, “That
was a song of farewell and blessing on the Brothers who are returning home.”
The music rose again from its invisible source, louder than before and with a
livelier lilt. This was explained when two of the women
rose and, going to a cleared space beyond the table, began moving to the
music in beautiful unison. Later, I was told that the dance represented the
power of the Universe. As I watched, I realized that one would
need double joints and the suppleness of an infant to reproduce it. It was
truly wonderful to behold, for every motion and posture of their bodies
portrayed one after the other, the many moods of nature, from calm waters at
rest though the most terrific storms of space. To describe such rhythm is impossible but
it was both fascinating and deeply stirring to behold. The young dancers
themselves were exquisitely lovely, and their costumes seemed to change
colors while in motion, yet I saw no lights playing upon them. The word “grace”
its superlative meaning could not do justice to this beautiful performance. When the dance was over and a little time
had passed, the Master spoke to Orthon, who came over to where I was sitting.
“Now,” he said, “we want to show you scenes from our planet
Venus. Scenes that will be beamed directly from the spot to this ship.” I was delighted at the prospect of such a
travelogue and wondered on which screen it would appear. But there was no
screen. Before my astonished gaze, as the lights dimmed, the first scene hung
suspended upon the space of this room! Orthon seemed to enjoy my amazement and
explained, “We have a certain type of projector that can send out and
stop beams at any distance desired. The stopping point serves as an invisible
screen where the pictures are concentrated with color and dimensional
qualities intact.” The scene at which I was looking seemed, in
fact, so definitely “there” that it was with the greatest
difficulty I could believe myself still on this ship. I saw magnificent
mountains, some white-topped with snow; some quite barren and rocky, not very
different from those of Earth. Some were thickly timbered and I saw water
running in streams and cascades down the mountainsides. Orthon leaned close to me to whisper, “We
have many lakes and seven oceans, all of which are connected by waterways,
both natural and artificial.” They showed me several Venusian cities,
some large and some small. All gave me the feeling of having been transported
to some wonderful fairyland. The structures were beautiful, with no
monotonous lines. Many had domes radiating in prismatic colors that gave the
impression of a revitalizing force. “In the dark of the night,”
Orthon said softly, “the colors cease and the domes become luminous with
a soft, yellowish light.” All cities followed a circular or oval
pattern, and none appeared in any way congested. Between these concentrated
communities there was much still uninhabited territory. The people I saw on the streets of these
cities seemed to be going about their business in much the same manner as
Earth folk, except for the absence of rush and worry so noticeable with us.
Clothing, too, was similar, each person apparently choosing garments to his
own particular liking while following a general style. I would estimate the
tallest person I saw to be about six foot six, the average adult about five
foot six, and the smallest not over thee foot six. However, this latter could
have been a child. I could not be sure, since none show age as we do. I know
that I definitely did see some children, much smaller than this particular
form. Corresponding to our automobiles for convenience in traveling from one
place to another, I saw conveyances patterned somewhat after the mother ship
in miniature. They appeared to glide along just above the ground, as had
those “buses” I saw on the Moon. These transports varied in size as
do our cars, and some had open tops. I was wondering how they were propelled, which
brought Orthon again close to my ear as he explained, “By means of
exactly the same energy as operates our space ships.” The streets were well laid out and
beautifully bordered with flowers of many colors. Next, I was shown a beach on the shore of a
lake. The sand was very white and fine. Long, low waves rolled in with an
almost hypnotic quality. There were many people on the beach and in the
water. I wondered what kind of material could be used for their bathing suits
as they looked no wetter after a dip in the lake than before. Kalna, who had come to sit beside me,
cleared this up. “The material is not only entirely waterproof but also
has properties which repel certain injurious rays from the Sun. Even as on
Earth,” she went on to explain, “these rays are more powerful when
reflected off water than inland.” We were now shown a tropical section of
Venus. I was amazed to notice that, in a general sense, many of the trees
somewhat resembled our weeping willow since the foliage tended to fall in a
kind of cascade effect. The color, however, and details of the leaf were
quite different. As you may imagine, I was very interested
in the animal life that entered the various scenes. On the beach I had
noticed a small, short-haired dog. Elsewhere, birds of various colors and
sizes, little different from ours on Earth. One looked identical to our wild
canary. I saw horses and cows in the country, both slightly smaller than
those of Earth but otherwise very similar. This seemed to hold true of all
animal life on Venus. The flowers, too, resembled those that grow
on our Earth. I would say that the main difference between both animal and
plant life on Venus as compared with ours lies in coloring and flesh texture.
This, Kalna told me, is due to the ever-present moisture on their planet. “As you have learned by now,” she
said, “our people rarely see the stars as you do on Earth. We know the
beauties of the heavens beyond our firmament only from our travels and
studies.” Last, they showed the picture of a very beautiful
woman and her husband with their eighteen children, all but one of whom were
fully grown. Yet the parents gave the impression of a young couple in their
early thirties. This ended the showing and I was invited to
ask questions. First, I asked what effect, if any, the constant cloudy
condition over Venus has on its peoples. Orthon replied, “In addition to living
according to universal laws, our atmosphere is a contributing factor toward
an average life span of one thousand years. When the Earth, too, had such an
atmosphere, man’s years on your planet were correspondingly far greater
than now. “The cloudy formation surrounding our
planet acts as a filter system to weaken the destructive rays which otherwise
would enter its atmosphere. I
call your attention to a record contained within your own Holy Writ. If
you study it carefully, you will notice that the span of life on Earth began
to decrease when the cloudy formation lessened and men there for the first
time saw the stars out in space. “It may interest you to learn that a
gradual tilting of your Earth is even now taking place. If, as could happen
at any moment, it should make a complete tilt in order to fulfill its cycle,
much of the land now lying under water will rise. For years to come, this water-soaked
soil will be in a process of evaporation which will once more cause a
constant cloudy formation, or ‘firmament’ around your Earth. In
which case, the life span will again be increased, and if the peoples on your
planet learn to live according to the Creator’s laws, you too can attain
a thousand years in the one body. “This tilting of your Earth is one
reason for the constant observation we are giving it, for its relation to the
other planets in our galaxy is very important. A drastic tilt of one planet
would, to some degree, affect all, and definitely alter the lanes in which we
travel space." “Surely, any violent tilt would cause
a great catastrophe to our Earth, would it not?” I asked. “That is bound to happen,” he
replied, “and although the laws which govern the relationship of man to
the world on which he lives would not at this present time be understood by
men of Earth, I want to stress that the erring path which they have followed
so consistently is actually the reason for their ignorance of your planet’s
present instability. Through the ages, there have been many signs and omens
which your people have ignored. Many of these have been recorded in your Holy
Writ as prophecies. But your people heeded them not. And although many have
already been fulfilled, the lesson has not been learned. It is not wise to
become independent of the Creator of all. Mankind must be guided by the hand
that has given him life. “If man is to live without
catastrophe, he must look upon his fellow being as himself, the one a
reflection of the other. It is not the Creator’s wish that mankind turn
against itself in cruelty and wanton slaughter.” “I know,” I said, “that we
are coming into a new Major Cycle of some sort. Some of my brothers on Earth
call it the Golden Age, others the Aquarian. Can you throw any light on this?”
“On our planet we do not name the
changes in that way, for all we know is progress. But to answer the question
for your understanding, we would say that you are approaching a new Cosmic
Age, however little you may understand this. You have had your Golden Age,
worshiping gold more than God. And an Aquarian Age, as you call it, can be
only one in which Earth afflicts you with great waters, or not enough. You
have passed through both of these conditions. The very naming of the periods
of change in this way is a part of the block to your understanding. The Earth
people must learn to progress in rhythm with these natural changes and not be
subject unto them.” “How,” I asked, “would you
define the Cosmic Age?” “Actually, we would rather call it a
Cosmic understanding. This is the first time in your civilization that you
have, in a broad sense, become aware of the probability of inhabited worlds
other than your own. Appearing in our space craft, as we now are doing in
such numbers in all the skies of your world, even those who would not believe
have little choice. For the first time in the memory of mankind on your
planet, there is overwhelming evidence that your planet has not borne life as
a kind of freak accident, as even some of your greatest astronomers have
stated. Mankind is manifesting on your world because that planet is but one
in a vast, orderly creation of the Infinite One, all subject to his Divine
laws. “Our ships perform feats in your skies
which no Earthly planes of any nation can do. Your scientists know this. Your
governments know this. The pilots of your planes everywhere in your world
have seen us and marveled. Thousands of your people have looked up and been
amazed. Thousands more everywhere are now watching and hoping for a glimpse
of us. “All this has been foretold by men of
old. They have said in your written prophecies that the whole world will be
disturbed, and that the signs will be these: Sons of God will be coming from
Heaven to Earth to deliver the peoples. The conditions in your world today
have placed you, as you put it, under the shadow of death. Your entire world
is disturbed. And since the name you have for outer space is ‘Heaven,’
and since we too are Sons and daughters of God, could it not be that even now
the ancient prophecy is being fulfilled? “It has also been foretold that, when
the time cometh, the dark races of the world will rise up and demand the
right to equal respect and the lot of free men so long denied them by you of
lighter skins. Is not this prophecy, too, being fulfilled in these very days
on Earth? “You see, we know the history of your
world well. The conception of ‘We are our brother’s keeper’
applies to all mankind everywhere. It is in this role that we come to you and
say, ‘Let the Supreme Being of the Universe be the guiding word for your
world that your troubles may vanish as darkness before light.’ “What would man be without the breath
of life? And who giveth unto him? Is it not to be found everywhere for the
benefit of all? Then let Earthly man know that his God is not in some far
distant place, but ever near in all manifestations, and within Man himself.”
Orthon ceased speaking and for a moment I
sat with bowed head thinking of his words. Slowly, I became aware of a warmth
that seemed to be entering into my spirit. Looking up, I saw from the faces
of those around me that what I felt was a benediction that flowed from all of
them toward me. Then the Master rose and approached me. As
I stood, so did the others. “My son,” he said, looking deeply
into my eyes, “much of what our brother has been saying to you is in
conflict with many things your people have been taught to believe as truth.
This, in itself, is of no importance, since that which was learned yesterday
serves only as a stepping stone toward the greater truth we can learn
tomorrow. That is the law of progress. Once on the right path, it cannot be
otherwise. it is essential always that men work and strive together with open
minds, ever aware that all is never known. There is an infallible guide in
determining whether the path is a right one. That is very simple. If the
results of your thoughts and actions are evil, then the path you are
following leads away from the light of His countenance. If good things follow
along the way you go, then your lives, and the lives of your children and of
their children, will be joyous. Blessings, unbroken by sickness and strife,
will be your eternal heritage.” He touched my hand in farewell and left the
room in a silence vibrant with the words he had spoken. I looked long into the faces of my many
friends, imprinting each on my memory. There were no spoken farewells, but
each raised a hand, and I raised mine. Then, I allowed Orthon to lead me
along the ways of the carrier back to the little Scout. Both Firkon and Ramu accompanied me on the
drive back to the city. We did not talk. When we were back at the Hotel and the time
had come for me to take leave of these dear friends, a feeling of tremendous
poignancy engulfed me. We exchanged handclasps and Ramu said softly, “The
blessing of the Infinite One go with you." I left them then, and went on up to my
lonely room. |
|
George
Adamski (Adamski's
first meeting with a Space Brother) George Adamski and four friends met in the Arizona desert,
10.2 miles from Desert Center toward Parker, to try and photograph a Flying
Saucer, November 20th, 1952. …When we reached Desert Center, there
to the right was the road for which we were looking, the highway leading to
Parker, Arizona… The Baileys had brought a movie camera,
which they had rented and with which they were not too familiar, and some
extra film. The Williamsons had a still camera... Suddenly and simultaneously we all turned
as one, looking again toward the closest mountain ridge where just a few
minutes after a plane had crossed. Riding high, and without sound, there was
a gigantic cigar-shaped silvery ship, without wings or appendages of any
kind. Slowly, almost as if it was drifting, it came in our direction; then
seemed to stop, hovering motionless…. I said, “Someone take me down the road
in the car – quick! That ship has come looking for me, and I don't want
to keep them waiting! Maybe the saucer is already up there somewhere –
afraid to come down here where too many people would see them…” Faced with the fact that if there were a
landing at this time, and if I were permitted a personal contact with the
crew that landed, there was also a possibility that I, too, might be
privileged to take a trip somewhere with them, even to the place wherever
'they” came. Consequently, I wanted to be sure that those with me should
witness my going. That was why I had cautioned all of my
companions to watch very carefully to see whatever it might be possible for
them to see at the distance they were from me. This distance was something
between half a mile and a mile. Asked how long they should wait before
returning for me, yet to be sure their presence would not interrupt anything
that might be going on, I told Lucy to return for me in an hour, unless I
signalled for them before that time. I explained that when the saucer left,
if one did come in as I was hoping, I would walk to the highway and wave my
hat. But in all cases, to return at the end of an hour because I was certain
everything would be finished by that time. . As the car was turned to obey my
instructions, the big space ship turned its nose in the opposite direction.
Silently, but quickly, it crossed above the crest of the mountains and was
lost to my sight, but not before a number of our planes roared overhead in an
apparent effort to circle this gigantic stranger. Al and Lucy were able to keep it in sight
longer than I because on the highway they were farther from the mountains.
Not until they had joined the others did it disappear from their sight as it
turned its nose upward and shot out into space, leaving our planes circling –
with nothing. Alone with my telescope and my thoughts, I
busied myself attaching the camera to the telescope and making adjustments
with the eyepiece. This adjustment had become slightly distorted in the
moving and setting up. All the time thoughts kept racing through my mind,
possibilities of what could take place; fears that nothing would; wondering
if the big ship would return, or if the planes had chased it away for good;
if a strange craft did come close, would I get the kind of picture I wanted -
one which would be convincing beyond all question to the general public - and
a thousand other thoughts along this same line. And while I had long hoped for a personal
contact with a man from a flying saucer, expectation that such would actually
take place at this time was far from my mind. I was hoping for a good
picture, a possible closeup of some space craft that would show more detail
than I had ever before succeeded in getting. But from previous experiences, I
would not have been too disappointed if nothing further had occurred. Not more than five minutes had elapsed
after the car had left me when my attention was attracted by a flash in the
sky and almost instantly a beautiful small craft appeared to be drifting
through a saddle between two of the mountain peaks and settling silently into
one of the coves about half a mile from me. It did not lower itself entirely
below the crest of the mountain. Only the lower portion settled below the
crest, while the upper, or dome section, remained above the crest and in full
sight of the rest of my party who were back there watching. Yet it was in
such a position that I could see the entire ship as it hovered in the cove
ahead of me. At the same time, many miles of the highway and surrounding
terrain were in full view of the crew within the saucer. Quickly I spotted it in the finder on my
telescope, and as rapidly as possible I snapped the seven loaded films,
without taking time to focus through the ground glass in the back of the
camera. But I was hoping and praying all of the time that Lady Luck was with
me and that the pictures would turn out well. As I removed each film holder with its
exposed negative from the camera - an old Hagee-Dresden Grafles type - put it
in the right-hand pocket of the jacket I was wearing. Here, I was sure, these
films would be safe from any accident. I took the camera off and replaced it in
the box in which I had brought it. I then decided to see what I could get
with the Brownie. As I snapped the first picture I noticed the saucer flash
brightly as it moved away and disappeared over the same saddle through which
it had first come, just as a couple more of our planes roared overhead. I stood watching them as they circled a
couple of times and then continued on their way. I was sure the saucer had
again evaded them and was on its way to its Mother Ship. Then I decided to take a couple more
pictures with the Brownie just to show the general terrain in this section in
case my space craft pictures turned out well. I still questioned whether or
not they would. But this is always the case and I never know until the
finishing work is completed. I have never grown to the state of complete
assurance of having a good picture, as expert photographers usually have when
they take one. After taking three pictures with the
Brownie, I just stood there for a few minutes looking around and with the
Kodak still in my hand. I was somewhat awed by being so close to a saucer and
I wondered if whatever or whoever was in it knew I was photographing it. I
had a feeling that they did. I only wished I could have seen the one who was
operating that beautiful craft and could have had a chance to talk to him. .
. . Maybe he would let me look inside. Suddenly my reverie was broken as my
attention was called to a man standing at the entrance of a ravine between
two low hills, about a quarter of a mile away. He was motioning to me to come
to him, and I wondered who he was and where he had come from. I was sure he
had not been there before. Nor had he walked past me from the road. He could
not have come from the side of the mountains on which we were. And I wondered
how he had crossed over and descended any part of them without me having
noticed him. A prospector perhaps? Or someone living
among these mountains? I had thought no one would be within miles of this
spot when I chose it. Or could he be a rock hound, stranded way out here? But
why was he motioning to me unless he needed help? So I started toward him,
mentally questioning in a minor way, but still feeling the exaltation of my
recent experience. As I approached him a strange feeling came
upon me and I became cautious. At the same time I looked round to reassure
myself that we were both in full sight of my companions. Outwardly there was
no reason for this feeling, for the man looked like any other man, and I
could see he was somewhat smaller than I and considerably younger. There were
only two outstanding differences that I noticed as I neared him. 1. His trousers were not like mine. They
were in style, much like ski trousers and with a passing thought I wondered
why he wore such out here on the desert. Although I did not understand the strange
feeling that persisted, it was however a friendly feeling toward the smiling
young man standing there waiting for me to reach him. And I continued walking
toward him without the slightest fear. Suddenly, as though a veil was removed from
my mind, the feeling of caution left me so completely that I was no longer
aware of my friends or whether they were observing me as they had been told
to do. By this time we were quite close. He took four steps toward me,
bringing us within arm's length of each other. Now, for the first time I fully realised
that I was in the presence of a man from space - A HUMAN BEING FROM ANOTHER
WORLD! I had not seen his ship as I was walking toward him, nor did I look
around for it now. I did not even think of his ship, and I was so stunned by
this sudden realisation that I was speechless. My mind seemed to temporarily
stop functioning. The beauty of his form surpassed anything I
had ever seen. And the pleasantness of his face freed me of all thought of my
personal self. I felt like a little child in the presence
of one with great wisdom and much love, and I became very humble within
myself. . . for from him was radiating a feeling of infinite understanding
and kindness, with supreme humility. . To break this spell that had so overtaken
me -and I am sure he recognised it for what it was - he extended his hand in
a gesture toward shaking hands. I responded in our customary manner. But he rejected this with a smile and a slight
shake of his head. Instead of grasping hands as we on Earth do, he placed the
palm of his hand against the palm of my hand, just touching it but not too
firmly. I took this to be the sign of friendship. . The flesh of his hand to the touch of mine
was like a baby's, very delicate in texture, but firm and warm. His hands
were slender, with long tapering fingers like the beautiful hands of an
artistic woman. In fact, in different clothing he could easily have passed
for an unusually beautiful woman; yet he definitely was a man. He was about five feet, six inches in
height and weighed - according to our standards - about 135 pounds. And I
would estimate him to be about 28 years of age, although he could have been
much older. He was round faced with an extremely high
forehead; large, but calm, grey-green eyes, slightly aslant at the outer
corners; with slightly higher cheek bones than an Occidental, but not so high
as an Indian or an Oriental; a finely chiselled nose, not conspicuously
large; and an average size mouth with beautiful white teeth that shone when
he smiled or spoke. As nearly as I can describe his skin the
coloring would be an even, medium-colored suntan. And it did not look to me
as though he had ever had to shave, for there was no more hair on his face
than on a child's. His hair was sandy in color and hung in
beautiful waves to his shoulders, glistening more beautifully than any
woman's I have ever seen. And I remember passing thought of how Earth women
would enjoy having such beautiful hair as this man had. As I said before, he
wore no protection over it and it was being blown by the winds. His clothing was a one-piece garment which
I had a feeling was a uniform worn by space men as they travel, like Earth
men in various types of work wear uniforms to indicate their occupations. Its color was chocolate brown and it was
made with a rather full blouse, close-fitting high collar much like a turtle
neck, only it did not turn down. The sleeves were long, slightly full and
similar to a Raglan sleeve, with close-fitting bands around the wrists. A band about eight inches in width circled
his waist. And the only break in coloring of the entire garment was a strip
about an inch and a half in width at the top and bottom of this waistband.
This was brighter and more of a golden brown. The trousers were rather full and held in
at the ankles with bands like those on the sleeves at the wrists, in style
much like a ski pant. Actually it is very difficult to describe
this garment in coloring for I know of no descriptive word in our language
that would suit it perfectly. It was definitely a woven material, very
fine, and the weave was different from any of our materials. There was a
sheen about the whole garment, but I could not tell whether or not this was
due to a finishing process or whether it might be the kind of substance of
which its thread was made. It was not like our satin, silk, or rayon, for it
had more of a radiance than a sheen. I saw no zippers, buttons, buckles,
fasteners or pockets of any kind, nor did I notice seams as our garments
show. It is still a mystery to me how his garment was made. He wore no ring, watch, or other ornament
of any kind. And I saw nothing to indicate, nor did I have a feeling, that he
had a weapon of any kind on his person. His shoes were red-brown in color. They too
were made of some apparently woven material but different from his suit
because these looked much like leather. It was soft and flexible because I
could see the movement of his feet within them as we stood talking. ' High like a man's oxford shoe, they fitted
closely around his feet, which I would say were about size 9 or 9-and-a-half.
However, the opening was on the outer side about half way back on the heel
between the arch and the back of the heel. Two narrow straps were here, but I
saw no buckles or fasteners, and I reasoned that these straps must have the
quality of stretching similar to the woven inserts in some women's shoes. The heels were slightly lower than on Earth
men's shoes, and the toes were blunt. I noticed his shoes particularly
because during our conversation he made it very plain to me that his
shoeprints were most important. But more about that later. Suddenly realising that time was passing
and I was getting no information by just looking at him, I asked him where he
came from. He did not seem to understand my words, so
I asked him again. But his only response was a slight shake of
the head and an almost apologetic expression on his face, which indicated to
me that he was not understanding either my words or the meaning behind them. I am a firm believer that people who desire
to convey messages to one another can do so, even though they neither speak
nor understand the other's language. This can be done through feelings,
signs, and above all, by means of telepathy. I had been teaching this as fact
for 30 years and now I concluded I would have to use this method if
information of any kind was to pass between us. And there were a lot of
things I wanted to know, if I could only think of them. So, to convey the meaning of my first
question to him, I began forming, to the best of my ability, a picture of a
planet in my mind. At the same time I pointed to the sun, high in the sky. He understood this, and his expression so
indicated. Then I circled the sun with my finger,
indicating the orbit of the planet closest to the sun, and said, 'Mercury'. I
circled it again for the second orbit, and said, 'Venus'. The third circle I
spoke, 'Earth,' and indicated the earth upon which we were standing. I repeated this procedure a second time,
all the while keeping as clear a picture of a planet in my mind as I was able
to perceive, and this time pointing to myself as belonging to the Earth. Then
I indicated him, with a question in my eyes and my mind. Now he understood perfectly, and smiling
broadly he pointed to the sun; made one orbit, made the second, then touching
himself with his left hand, he gestured several times with his right index
finger toward the second orbit. I took this to mean that the second planet
was his home, so I asked, 'You mean you came from Venus?' This was the third time I had spoken the
word 'Venus' in relation to the second planet, and he nodded his head in the
affirmative. Then he, too, spoke the word 'Venus.' His voice was slightly higher pitched than
an adult man's. Its tonal quality was more that of a young man before his
voice completes the change from childhood to maturity. And although he had
spoken but one word, there was music in his voice and I wanted to hear more
of it. Next I asked, 'Why are you coming to
Earth?' This question too was accompanied with
gestures and facial expressions as well as mental pictures, as were all the
questions I asked of him. I repeated each question at least twice to be sure
that he understood the meaning of the words I was speaking. The expressions
of his face and his eyes told me clearly when he understood, or when there
was still any uncertainty in his mind as to what I was trying to ask. I also
repeated the answers he gave me to be sure that I was understanding him
correctly. He made me understand that their coming was
friendly. Also, as he gestured, that they were concerned with radiations
going out from Earth. ' This I got clearly since there was a
considerable amount of radiation of heat waves rising from the desert, as is
often the case. Such as the waves that are often seen rising from pavements,
and highways on hot days. He pointed to them and then gestured
through space. I asked if this concern was due to the
explosions of our bombs with their resultant vast radio-active clouds? He understood this readily and nodded his
head in the affirmative. My next question was whether this was
dangerous, and I pictured in my mind a scene of destruction. To this, too, he nodded his head in the
affirmative, but on his face there was no trace of resentment or judgment.
His expression was one of understanding, and great compassion; as one would
have toward a much loved child who had erred through ignorance and lack of
understanding. This feeling appeared to remain with him during the rest of my
questions on this subject. I wanted to know if this was affecting
outer space? Again a nod of affirmation. In this respect let me say here, it has
long been known by scientists of Earth that the cosmic ray, as it is called,
is more powerful in outer space than it is in the Earth's atmosphere. And if
this be true, is it not just as logical to assume that the radioactive force
from the bombs being tested by nations of Earth could also become more
powerful in space, once leaving the Earth's atmosphere? Logical deduction
supports the statement of this space man, But I persisted and wanted to know if it
was dangerous to us on Earth as well as affecting things in space? He made me understand-by gesturing with his
hands to indicate cloud formations from explosions - that after too many such
explosions. Yes! His affirmative nod of the head was very positive and he
even spoke the word 'Yes' in this instance. The cloud formations were easy to
imply with the movement of his hands and arms, but to express the explosions
he said, 'Boom! Boom!'. Then, further to explain himself, he touched me, then
a little weed growing close by, and next pointed to the Earth itself, and
with a wide sweep of his hands and other gestures that too many 'Booms I'
would destroy all of this, This seemed sufficiently clear, so I
changed the subject and asked him if he had come directly from Venus in the
ship I had photographed? Here he turned around and pointed up behind
the nearby low hill. There, hovering just above the Earth, was
the saucer I had seen earlier and thought had left, I had been so engrossed
in the man that I had failed to look beyond him into the recesses of the cove
to where the small craft had apparently returned and remained hovering all
this time. He was amused at my surprise and laughed a
most hearty laugh. But I didn't feel that he was laughing at me, and
consequently I felt no embarrassment. I laughed with him, and then asked if he
had come directly from Venus to Earth in that? He shook his head in the negative and made
me understand that this craft had been brought into Earth's atmosphere in a
larger ship. Recalling to mind the large ship we had
first seen, I asked if that was the one? A nod of affirmation was his reply. Now in my mind's picture I put a number of
smaller craft - like this one at which I was looking - inside the big ship. I
could tell by his expression that he was receiving my mental pictures, and I
compared this big craft with our own naval plane carriers. A nod of his head told me this was right. .
So I asked if the large craft might be
called a 'Mother' ship? He seemed to understand the word 'mother' for now his
nod of affirmation was accompanied by an understanding smile. Next I asked if our ships which had
appeared around the 'Mother' ship, and those that came down close and
observed me as I was photographing his smaller craft had bothered them any? To this he answered 'yes' with a nod of his
head. Then I asked, 'How does your ship operate?
By what power?' Although he was very expert in mental
telepathy, I had some difficulty in getting a picture of this question in my
mind. Even though I gestured with my hands as well as I could, it took me
several minutes before I succeeded in getting him to understand the meaning
of my question. But I did finally succeed. He made me understand that it was being
operated by the law of attraction and repulsion, by picking up a little
pebble or rock and dropping it; then picking it up again and then showing
motion. I in turn, to make sure I understood,
picked up two pebbles and placed them close to each other as though one was
magnetic, pulling on the other, illustrating it that way as I spoke the word
'magnetic'. After a short time of doing this, he answered me; even repeating
the word 'magnetic' which I had already spoken a number of times. Then he replied 'yes'. Here I remembered about the little disks
that had so often been reported. This was easy, for I indicated with my hands
a small circle, then I pointed to his hovering craft and to him, while in my
mind I was wondering if these little disks were piloted. He quickly understood and shook his head in
the negative. Then also making a small circle with his two hands, he raised
it to his eyes and then pointed to his ship, followed by a gesture toward
space, and I received his thought of the big ship. I understood this to mean that the little
disks so often reported sighted were really eyes of larger craft - either the
saucers or the mother ships - remotely controlled and not piloted. As I
reviewed this in my mind, he assured me I was right. Then in my mind I saw an explosion in space
with a bright flash. As this picture formed in my mind, he
laughed and made me understand that in such cases something had gone wrong
with the little disks so they could not be brought back to the ship that had
sent them out. Then the control had caused a crosscurrent, or short circuit,
to take place. And an explosion resulted. But he assured me that this was
always done out far enough so that there was no danger to men on Earth. Suddenly the thought came to me to ask if he
believed in God? This he did not understand, for he was not
familiar with the word 'God'. But I finally succeeded in getting the thought
in my mind - he was watching me closely - of creating something, and then
with the motion of my hand, symbolising the vast sky, the earth, and all, and
speaking the words 'Creator of All'. After a few repetitions of this he
understood my thoughts, for I am sure my gestures were not too good. And he said, 'yes'. I realised fully that he naturally wouldn't
understand our names for things and to him God probably would be represented
by some other word or name. But he made me understand, by elaborating a
little longer with his gestures and mental pictures, that we on Earth really
know very little about this Creator. In other words, our understanding is
shallow. Theirs is much broader, and they adhere to the Laws of the Creator
instead of laws of materialism as Earth men do. Pointing to himself, then up
into space - which I understood meant the planet on which he lived - he
conveyed the thought to me that there they live according to the Will Of the
Creator, not by their own personal will, as we do here on Earth. . I then asked if there were any more
landings forthcoming like this one. He answered me, saying there had been many
landings before, and there will be many more. Are space people coming only from Venus? Or
are there other planets or systems from which they come? I asked, and here
again I had a little difficulty in conveying my thoughts. But I finally
succeeded. . To this he made me understand that people
are coming Earthwards from other planets in our system, and from planets of
other systems beyond ours. I had suspected this for a long time, so
his reply was no surprise to me. But now I wanted to know, “Is space
travelling a common practice with the people of other worlds? And is it easy?”
He spoke the word 'yes' in answer to both
of these questions. I remembered reports of men being found
dead in some saucers that have been found on Earth-saucers that had apparently
crashed. So I asked if any of their men had ever died on coming to Earth? He nodded his head in the affirmative, and
made me understand that things had on occasion gone wrong within their ships.
I could understand this because I knew that
both the big ship we had all seen first and the smaller one I had
photographed were mechanical craft. And things can go wrong with any
mechanical device. But I wasn't satisfied. I had a feeling
that he was trying to save my feelings, but I wanted the whole truth. So I
persisted, and asked whether men of this world had been responsible for any
of these deaths? His reply to this was 'yes', and by holding
up his hands several times, as well as with other gestures, he tried to tell
me how many. But I could not get the numbers. I could
not be sure whether he was indicating actual numbers, or whether his
indications should be multiplied by tens or hundreds, or by what number
according to our method of counting. Remembering a question that had often been
asked of me by people with whom I had talked, I asked why they never land in
populated places? To this he made me understand that there
would be a tremendous amount of fear on the part of the people, and probably
the visitors would be torn to pieces by the Earth people, if such public
landings were attempted. I understood how right he was, and within
my mind wondered if there ever would be a time when such a landing would be
safe. I was wondering, too, if such a time ever arrived, would they then
attempt public landings. He read my thoughts as they were passing
through my mind, and assured me that such a time would arrive. And when it
did, they would make landings in populated territories. But he made me
understand clearly that it would not be soon. In the beginning of our conversation, when
I realised that I would have to use my hands for gestures to get this man
from Venus to understand my questions, I had set my Kodak camera on the
ground. Now I picked it up and asked him if I could take 'a picture of him? I am sure that he understood my desire,
since he was so good at reading my mind. Also I am positive that he knew I
would do him no harm because he showed no signs of fear when I picked up the
Kodak. Nevertheless, he did object to having his picture taken, and I did not
insist. I have heard many times that men from other
worlds are walking the streets of Earth. And if this be true, I could easily
understand his desire not to be photographed, because there were a few
distinguishing points about his facial features. Normally these would not be
noticed. But in a photograph they would be conspicuous and serve as points of
identification for his brothers who have come to Earth. However, I respected
his desires and felt it unwise to question further on this subject. But I did ask him if any Earth people had
been taken away in space craft. He smiled broadly, and in a half-way manner
nodded his head in the affirmative, although I felt that he was not too
willing to give that information. One more question persisted - that of a
particular case I knew. He answered this question for me, but
warned me not to mention it further. In fact, I might add right here that he
told me a number of things telepathically which I must not reveal at this time.
So, changing the subject again, I asked how
many other planets are inhabited? He indicated that large numbers of them
throughout the Universe are inhabited by Human beings like us. Then more specifically, I inquired how many
in our system? He made a large circle with his hand and
covered it with a sweeping motion, as if meaning that all of them were. I wondered whether I understood him
correctly, and he made me realise quite firmly that I did. Naturally my next attempt was to learn if
people everywhere are all of the same form as we on Earth. His response to this question was emphatic,
as if he knew exactly what he was talking about, and I understood clearly
that the form is very much universal. He tried to explain further, but I
could not understand too clearly whether they vary in size, coloring and
flesh textures on various planets, or whether there is a mixture on each
planet as on Earth. Logical analysis would indicate the likelihood of the
latter. Despite the conclusions of most 'orthodox'
scientists it has always seemed to me a fallacy to believe that other planets
are not the home of intelligent beings even as is our Earth. All planets are apparently made out of
similar substances. All revolve in the same space. Some are larger, some
smaller than others, and all are in varying degrees of development - changing
ceaselessly. This is true of all forms, whatever they are, wherever they be. Reflecting telescopes will never give the
full answer. For just as they reflect the light from a planet, they reflect
also the particles moving in our atmosphere, and throughout space, and in the
atmosphere surrounding the body they are studying. Until finer devices are developed to filter
out all the reflections from the countless moving particles everywhere
present, a correct reading of any other body in space will be impossible with
a reflecting telescope. On the other hand, if and when the
much-talked-of space platform becomes a reality, I believe actual facts about
space will be revealed to our ever-searching scientists, and this will cause
the reversal of many theories that today are accepted as facts. Presence of space craft in our atmosphere,
and personal contacts such as the one I have made, prove the old astronomical
theories to be wrong. As completely wrong as man's sailing around the world
proved, the ancient theory of the Earth being square to be incorrect. Since there are people on other planets, I
wanted to know if they die, as Earth men die? He smiled, and remembered a
question I had asked earlier, if any of his people had died in coming to
Earth? So to clear the subject for me, he pointed
to his body and nodded in the affirmative - that bodies do die. But pointing
to his head, which I assumed to mean his mind, or intelligence, he shook his
head in negation; this does not die. And with a motion of his hand, he gave
me the impression that this - the intelligence - goes on evolving. Then
pointing to himself, he indicated that once he lived here on this Earth: then
pointing up into space - but now he is living out there. I tried to learn the time involved in this
type of transition but did not succeed in getting an answer from him. I did
receive an impression but cannot say definitely that it is correct since so
many thoughts were going through my mind. I could have allowed a slight
confusion to enter. An awareness of time began pressing upon me
and there were so many questions I still had not asked him. I was trying to
remember them and decide which ones were most important. One question I wanted very much to ask him
was, 'Is the moon inhabited?' I believe it is, and that the people of other
planets who indulge in inter-planetary travelling have bases there. My theory
about other planets and the atmosphere surrounding them includes the moon. But I forgot this one. Should I ever get
another chance to talk with an inter-planetary traveller, I hope I remember
to ask this question. Nor did I ask him his name. But in a time
like this, names and personalities are entirely forgotten. They mean so little
and are very unimportant. Perhaps, if I should be privileged to meet him a
number of times in the future I might remember to ask his name. Nor would I
ask the name of any other inter-planetary traveller I should ever be
permitted to contact, if it was in any way similar to this contact. In fact,
I didn't even think of this point until someone later asked me about it. He, too, must have received an impression
that our visit was drawing to a close and that he must return to his waiting
ship. For he kept pointing to his feet and talking in a language I surely had
never before heard. It sounded like a mixture of Chinese with a tongue that I
felt could have sounded like one of the ancient languages spoken here on
Earth. I have no way of knowing this as fact. It was only my reaction as I
listened, and his voice was indeed musical to listen to. From his talk and his pointing to his feet,
I felt there must be something very important there for me. And as he stepped
to one side from the spot where he had been standing, I noticed strange
markings from the print of his shoe left in the earth. He looked intently at
me to see that I was understanding what he wanted me to do. And as I
indicated that I did, and would comply, he stepped carefully on to another
and another spot. Thus he made three sets of deep and distinct footmarkings.
I believe his shoes must have been especially made for this trip and the
markings heavily embossed on the soles to leave such deep imprints. Then motioning for me to come with him, we
turned and walked side-by-side toward the waiting ship. It was a beautiful small craft, shaped more
like a heavy glass bell than a saucer. Yet I could not see through it any
more than one can see through the glass bricks that are popular in some of
the newer office buildings and homes, which permit more light to enter than
would solid walls. It was translucent and of exquisite color. As we approached it, I suddenly became
aware of a shadowy form moving within the ship, but there were no definite
outlines and I could not say whether it was a man or a woman. However, that no mistake may be given here,
let me say that I definitely do not believe this ship was made of glass such
as we know it. It was a specially processed metal. Let me explain it in this
way. Carbon is a soft, opaque, elementary
substance. Diamond is a clear, hard stone which radiates prismatic colors in
the presence of light - and is almost indestructible. Yet basically a diamond
is carbon. Through natural processes of heat and pressure, Nature has
transmuted the soft carbon into the hard diamond. Earth scientists are working with this same
principle and are having success to a limited degree. It is my belief that the men on other
planets - more versed in universal laws - have learned and are using these
laws for practical purposes. I believe they know how to bring their primary
elements from the opaque stage to a translucent stage, yet practically
indestructible in hardness, as is the diamond. And it was of such a material
that this space craft was made. And after being so close to one of their
small craft as I was to this Scout Ship, it is my firm conviction that it is
this quality that makes them so elusive to our eyes and even to cameras, yet
showing them on radar screens which require a density of some kind to show
up. For I am told by radar operators that lights alone, or light reflections
on clouds, do not show on radar screens. Neither do clouds, with the
exception of rain clouds and ionised clouds. Also it is this translucent quality, along
with the power they use, that makes them often appear as different colored
lights without definite form. The ship was hovering above the ground,
about a foot or two at the far side from me, and very near to the bank of the
hill. But the slope of the hill was such that the front, or that part of it
closest to me, was a good six feet above the earth. The three-ball landing
gear was half lowered below the edge of the flange that covered them, and I
had a feeling this was a precautionary act just in case they had definitely
to land. Some of the gusts of wind were pretty strong and caused the ship to
wobble at times. When this took place, the sun reflecting on the surface of
the ship caused beautiful prismatic rays of light to reflect out from it, as
from a smoky diamond. This was observed, too, by the six others
who maintained a steady watch from a distance. The splendor as it flashed its prismatic
colors in the sunlight surpassed every idea I had ever had about space craft.
A beautiful vision in actuality. The answer to many questions. A
long-cherished hope realised …. for here before me, silent in the desert
stillness and hovering as if poised for flight, this ship of unearthly
construction awaited our approach! The very realisation of the experience I
was having overwhelmed me …. and I found myself speechless. No longer
was I concerned with Earth alone. Rather, it was more like living in two
worlds at the same time, and though I should live to be a hundred years of
age, or more, I shall never forget the joy and the thrill of my first close
approach to a Scout Ship from planet Venus - a sister to Earth. Nearing the ship, I noticed a round ball at
the very top that looked like a heavy lens of some kind. And it glowed. I
wondered if this could be used as one end of a magnetic pole to draw their
power from space as they were moving through it. In the photographs this ball
looks like a large ring, and I have been asked if it was used to hold the
smaller craft in place in the Mother ship. I doubt this, unless it is
suspended in its place in the larger ship through the force of magnetism.
This could easily be done. The top of the craft was dome shaped, with
a ring of gears or heavy coil built into and encircling the side-wall at the
base of this domed top. This, too, glowed as though power was going through
it. There were round portholes in the
side-wall, but not all the way round, because immediately above one of the
balls of landing gear I noticed that the wall was solid. Whether this was
true over the other two balls I cannot say because I did not walk around the
ship. The covered portholes must have been made of a different quality or
thickness of material for they were clear and transparent. And once, for a fleeting second, I saw a
beautiful face appear and look out. I felt that whoever was inside was
looking for the one who was still out with me, but no word was spoken. The
face disappeared so quickly that I caught only a glimpse of it, but I did
notice that this person, too, had long hair like the man I had been talking
with. The lower outside portion of the saucer was
made like a flange, very shiny yet not smooth as a single piece of metal
would appear. It seemed to have layers of a fashion, but they couldn't be
used as steps because they were in reverse to what steps should be. I have no
idea of the reason for such construction, but it must have had a purpose. I was absorbed in observing every detail of
this strange and beautiful craft as we neared it, and I wondered just how
they were managing to keep it in the hovering state as I saw it. My space-man companion warned me not to get
too close to it and he himself stopped a good foot away from it. But I must
have stepped just a little closer than he, for as I turned to speak to him,
my right shoulder came slightly under the outer edge of the flange and
instantly my arm was jerked up, and almost at the same instant thrown back
down against my body. The force was so strong that, although I could still
move the arm, I had no feeling in it as I stepped clear of the ship. My companion was quite distressed about
this accident, but he had warned me and I alone was to blame. However, he did
assure me that in time it would be all right. Three months later, his words
have been proved true for feeling has returned and only an occasional
shooting pain as of a deeply-bruised bone returns to remind me of the
incident. As I hurt my arm, the visitor tried to grab
it to save it. In so doing he slightly grazed his own hand on the flange and
drew blood – red blood like our own, which seems to discredit any idea
that he may have had a different organic system to that of Earth men. At the time I was not so concerned about my
arm as I was about the exposed negatives still in the pocket of my jacket on
that side. Immediately I reached in and removed them to put them in my other
pocket. As I held them in my hand, this visitor
from Venus reached out and indicated that he would like one. Whether or not
he realised that the power from his ship might have neutralised the film to a
certain extent, I have no way of knowing. However, at his request, I held the entire
stack out to him and he took the top one. This he placed in the front of his
blouse. but I still didn't see any opening or pocket of any kind. As he did this, he made me understand that
he would return the holder to me, but I did not understand how, when, or
where. I asked him if I could take a ride in his
ship? He shook his head. Then I asked if I could just go inside to
see what it looked like in there. But, smiling very cordially, he made me
understand that would be impossible at this time for he must be going. I was a little disappointed, but at the
same time it gave me hope that there would be another time and another
opportunity. Since I was not permitted inside the ship I
cannot answer all the questions I have been asked about its construction, air
conditioning, etc. However, it is my theory that they have solved their
space-craft construction problems as we have learned to build submarines for
underwater travel. I believe space problems and water problems are very
similar in respect to travelling through them. Both are fluid. Water is but
gases in liquid form. Space is composed of gases in free state. With a few graceful steps he reached the
bank at the back of the ship and stepped up on to the flange. At least that
is the way it looked to me. Where the entrance was, or how he went into ship,
I do not know for sure, but as it silently rose and moved away, it turned a
little and I saw a small opening about the center of the flange being closed
by what looked like a sliding door. Also I heard the two occupants talking
together, and their voices were as music, but their words I could not
understand. As the ship started moving, I noticed two
rings under the flange and a third around the centre disk. This inner ring
and the outer one appeared to be revolving clockwise, while the ring between
these two moved in a counter clockwise motion. As I stood in this mountainous recess - a
solitary man watching the beautiful Scout Ship glide silently over the crest
of the mountains and disappear into space - I felt that a part of me was
going with it. For, strange as it may sound, the presence of this inhabitant
of Venus was like the warm embrace of great love and understanding wisdom,
and with his departure I felt an absence of this warm embrace.
George Adamski - Biographical
Sketch Born in Poland 17 April, 1891, George
Adamski was not yet two years old when his parents emigrated to the United
States and settled in Dunkirk, New York. The background of his boyhood was
much the same as that of any child of an immigrant family, with one important
difference. His parents possessed an unusual and deeply religious approach to
the wonders of creation as manifested in the many aspects of nature.
Therefore, although the boy's formal school was of short duration, a vital
part of his education' continued through private instruction. Young George
grew into adulthood with wonder and reverence toward all phases of nature. . In such a world, the boy felt, it should be
easy for people to live in harmony. Very early he began to search for the
reason why they seemed unable to do so. Very early he began to realize that
while the ephemeral laws laid down by men were dictated by geography,
changing needs and traditions, sometimes by little more than the special
interests of those in power, nature's laws were immutable. It seemed to him
that the lessons to be found in the pages of history had not been learned. It
seemed to him that the peoples of this Earth, individually and collectively,
were still walking in old ruts that could lead only to repetition of the same
old disasters. It was an absorbing' subject to the young Adamski. He knew
that, whatever the limitations that surrounded him, to learn all that he
could about it would be the enduring quest of his life. With what knowledge
he might gain, he hoped to serve his fellow man in some small way. Fortunatdy, it did not occur to the boy to
harbor any bitterness toward the circumstances which left his parents unable
to pay for the kind of education his ambition and keen mind warranted. On the
contrary, he voluntarily sought work to help defray the cost of an enlarging
family. The university of the world was his, exciting lessons to be learned
wherever and with whomsoever he found himself. In 1913 Adamski enlisted in the Army, where
he served in the 13th Cavalry on the Mexican border, receiving an honourable
discharge in 1919. Meanwhile, on Christmas Day in 1917 he was married to Mary
A. Shimbersky. Adamski's five years in the Army served but
to strengthen his longing to grow in understanding and wisdom that he might
be of service to his fellow man. But realizing that the student was not yet
equipped to be the teacher, for many years he travelled around the nation,
earning his living at any job that offered. It was a good way to study the
problems and frustrations from which no man is free. His was no grimly
pursued mission, nor was it in his nature to mount a soap box. The blend of
patience, compassion and gaiety, so marked in the mature Adamski, must even
then have been the qualities which attracted the confidences of his fellow
workers. It was not until he was nearly forty that
Adamski called a halt to wandering and settled down at Laguna Beach in
California. This was his first real home and here, through the nineteen
thirties, he devoted full time to teaching the UniversalLlaws. His students
soon numbered into the hundreds, he found himself in demand for lectures
throughout Southern California and his talks were broadcast over, radio
stations KFOX in Long Beach and KMPC in Los Angeles. One of his students presented him with a
six-inch Newtonian reflecting telescope and Adamski spent much time studying
the heavens. He and his students took innumerable photographs with homemade
attachments. It was during this period that Adamski got his first photograph
of a space craft, although at the time he did not know what it was. The
photograph was submitted to several astronomers. None could identify it. The
object was too far out in space for details to show up. A number of guesses
were made which no one considered satisfactory. In 1940, foreseeing war in the offing,
Adamski and a few of his students whose circumstances permitted moved from.
Laguna Beach to a settlement along the route to Palomar Mountain called
Valley Center. Here they labored diligently on establishing a small farming
project which they hoped would make them self-sustaining for the duration.
When America entered the war, Adamski served his locality as an air-raid
warden. In 1944 the Valley Centre Ranch was sold.
Adamski and the small group who had remained with him during the war years
moved to the southern slopes of Mt. Palomar, six miles below the crest of
that mountain and eleven miles from the site of the world's largest
telescope, at that time uncompleted. Here they cleared virgin land and built
simple living quarters. Here also they raised a small building to serve as a
cafe for passers-by, owned and operated by Mrs. Alice K. Wells, one of
Adamski's students. Each member of the group shared in the manual labour that
went into this effort, and since heavy restrictions were still in effect
regarding materials, anything available had to serve. Adamski bought a I5-inch telescope and a
small observatory was erected to house this, designed in a way which enabled
him to study the skies for hours on end, protected from inclement weather.
The smaller 6-inch telescope was mounted out in the open. In this way,
Adamski was able to continue his studies of the skies. Many visitors were
interested and with these he gladly discussed his findings. During the meteoric shower of 1946 Adamski
and a number of friends watching with him witnessed a dramatic event,
unrecognized for what it was at the time. They observed a large cigar-shaped
Craft hanging motionless in the skies at comparatively close range. A
completely strange object to all, none guessed its true origin. Although
Adamski had long discussed the probability of Human life on other planets, he
still held the opinion that distances between even our closest heavenly
neighbors were far too great for any physical interplanetary travel. Only in
the following year (1947) came proof that he was mistaken. With his wife and
a few associates, for more than an hour Adamski watched a formation of
unearthly craft moving without sound in orderly single file across the
heavens from East to West. Since this same display had been witnessed
by other groups in different localities, during the following weeks many
persons came to Adamski to check their personal observations. Not one could
believe that the awesome spectacle could be accounted for by any craft as yet
made on our Earth. Adamski's further experiences and first
encounter with a Space Brother are given to the public in the book “Flying
Saucers Have Landed”, co-authored with Desmond Leslie. His
subsequent visits up to the Mother ships in space are recounted in “Inside
the Space Ships". In his final book, “Flying Saucers
Farewell", he seeks to present a philosophy for a Space Age, along
with giving an insight into the lives and beliefs of the Space men. He
describes many aspects of the civilization that exists on Venus and,
following evidence that the Earth was host to visitors from other planets
even in Biblical times. Charlotte Blodget |
