Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Largest UFO conference in US wraps up in Phoenix

By Steve Hammons

It’s not just about unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and the beings reportedly aboard some of them. It’s bigger, wider, deeper.

That is one of the insights gained by many of the people who attended the five-day 23rd annual International UFO Congress conference near Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, Arizona, Feb. 12-16.

From national security considerations to spiritual perspectives, from the far reaches of the Universe to our struggling planet Earth here and now, speakers and attendees explored dozens of key aspects of, and possible connections to the UFO phenomena.

Hundreds of people from around the country and other countries attended the fascinating presentations by speakers, panel discussions, evening gatherings and other activities. Visitors also enjoyed perfect weather – sunny days with highs in the mid-80s and mostly clear nights for sky watching (night-vision equipment was also available).

Approximately 1,000 people attended each day with a total of about 2,500 probably attending, according to local news reports. Many other people around the U.S. and around the world learned about the conference on the International UFO Congress website.

The conference organizers, Open Minds Production of Tempe, Arizona, recruited speakers who covered a variety of topics ranging from mainstream scientific views to very forward-leaning perspectives about what could be going on.

MORE THAN FLYING OBJECTS

The many unknowns and mysteries associated with the UFO situation create wonderful opportunities for professional, paraprofessional and amateur researchers to try to learn more and gain more understanding. This appeared to be happening at the International UFO Congress in significant ways. The sharing of experiences, information and perspectives provided plenty of food for thought.

While some talks at the conference embraced some very mind-expanding concepts, other speakers tackled the nuts and bolts of the recent history of UFOs in somewhat more conventional historical terms.

Conference attendees were told that, yes, a very special craft of some kind crashed near Roswell in July 1947 and was promptly flown to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in southwestern Ohio for examination by top engineers, scientists and defense officials.

In the 1950s and ‘60s sightings of a variety of types of UFOs continued to be seen in the U.S. and internationally. As a result, semi-open public investigation programs such as Project BLUE BOOK were put in place. Behind the scenes other research and response activities also reportedly were implemented.

The situation has continued to develop to the present day. How has it developed? That seems to be the complex question at hand.

The UFO phenomena provided an overarching fabric of the International UFO Congress, yet that topic also served as a way to approach possible other new discoveries that could be related in certain ways.

Several speakers examined unusual, anomalous phenomena that do not always appear to be directly connected to the many kinds of UFOs that have been reported. Yet, there are indications of various types of connections, according to some views.

For example, physicists and others speculate that there could be hidden dimensions in our Universe. And there might be points of connection and interaction between our “normal” world and other worlds. Portals, doors, wormholes, star gates and pathways may exist.

If so, where are they? What do they do and how do they work? Where do they go? Who uses them, and why?

Some conference speakers noted that our planet and human societies are in trouble. There are a significant number of serious challenges and problems of many kinds facing the human race and this planet we are living on. Of course, the human race itself is a huge part of the problem, certain presenters noted.

One view is that there may be intelligent beings – of several kinds – who might be able to assist us. According to some of the speakers, this help may be available and has been in the pipeline and in the form of discreet and mysterious interventions currently underway.

TOWARD A BREAKTHROUGH

Can new discoveries and insights help us? And are there serious dangers that we should also be aware of and prepared for? What roles do the media play? If kind and friendly beings are nearby and can provide help, why is so much suffering and destruction continuing on Earth?

These are some of the questions considered by speakers and attendees at the conference.

However, if we look around our world in new ways, look to Nature and Mother Earth, look to the skies and into ourselves, there are solid clues and indications worth paying attention to, according to several of the speakers.

These clues may involve a variety of phenomena from discoveries in physics to crop circles, from the theorized dimension of Heaven to healing miracles here on Earth. And from odd coincidences to meaningful signs and messages in our daily lives. There are also other existing and emerging phenomena that are fascinating and maybe hopeful, the conference audience was told.

Some speakers counseled attendees to keep their eyes open for these realities. They may show themselves through Nature, through our relationships and through the human heart.

Fundamental to the discussion at the conference was the issue of how our human consciousness can try to accurately understand what might be going on in these areas. How can we determine what is true and what might be the best paths to follow to make more progress?

More questions … a few answers … and then more mysteries.

But by asking these questions and looking honestly into the many puzzle pieces involved in the UFO phenomena, those at the International UFO Congress, and all of us, might someday make further discoveries and a significant breakthrough.