Over the course of the 80 or so years that make up what is colloquially known as the modern UFO Phenomenon, various hypotheses have been generated to make sense of not only the remarkably sophisticated craft that seem to be leagues beyond the technology of any modern nation-state present on the planet, but also of the apparently non-human beings who occupy them, and of the high strangeness that seems so often to be part and parcel with these anomalous encounters.

Because mainstream Western civilization has been firmly in the clutches of reductionistic physicalism as a model of reality for the entire duration of the modern UFO Phenomenon, the vast majority of the hypotheses generated thus far have been based on this underlying materialist framework. What’s strange about this though is that physicalism has been dead in the water for quite some time now. Not only is it misguided in some of its claims, but it is demonstrably untenable based on modern research findings.

Bernardo Kastrup is a renowned contemporary philosopher who is one of the most vocal voices in the world today calling physicalism’s bluff. He counters the materialist delusion with a model he calls analytic idealism; arguing that reality is fundamentally a mental construct, a process of mentation, and we – along with all other sentient beings in the cosmos – are what he deems alters of Original Mind, or what others might call Source consciousness.

In this the second of my two-part interview with Bernardo, we cover a variety of topics, engaging with how idealism might present some very interesting and encouraging possibilities for further research. The issues addressed from the perspective of idealism include high strangeness and the peculiarly humanoid – almost neo-human – body type of many of the anomalous beings encountered across history.

While the UFO Phenomenon has undoubtedly proven to be one of, if not THE most enigmatic of modern topics, in this discussion we consider the insights that a metaphysical model like idealism might open up in our process of inquiry, in this, the 92nd episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Over the course of 90+ episodes of Point of Convergence, save for one episode with James Iandoli, on the topic of CE-5, or HICE: human initiated contact events, this show has not followed the common podcast interview format. The reason for that is that there are already plenty of shows that follow the common interview pattern. My goal here has generally been to offer solo deep dives on various aspects of the UFO Phenomenon and associated topics that include, among others, NDEs, OBEs, and psi phenomena.

That said, as in the case of my interview with James Iandoli – who represents a wealth of wisdom on so-called “contact work” – I do find it helpful to include the thoughts of others when that person represents what I would deem a paragon in their field. This is true in today’s episode, which features my recent conversation with philosopher Bernardo Kastrup.

Bernardo’s work has been featured prominently in this podcast. His analytic idealism framework has been influential in my own aim to make sense of the dizzying and sometimes discombobulating array of phenomena associated with anomalous encounters with UFOs/UAP and apparent aliens. His book Meaning in Absurdity: What Bizarre Phenomena Can Tell Us About the Nature of Reality is especially pertinent to our overarching subject of interest, and I highly recommend it.

As an idealist, Bernardo’s view is that base reality is ultimately mental in nature; like a dream held in what he calls “Mind at Large”, or that others might call Source consciousness, or Original Mind. I have found that seeing not just the UFO Phenomenon and related paranormal encounters, but reality itself, in this light, is extremely helpful in making headway in these tricky, murky waters. With that introduction aside, let’s move to part 1 of my 2 part discussion with philosopher Bernardo Kastrup, in this, the 91st episode of the Point of Convergence podcast. 

For a long period of modern history the matter of the so-called UFO Phenomenon remained a topic cast to the fringes of discourse. While there has always been a committed community of people dedicated to getting to the bottom of this enduring, enigmatic mystery, that group has operated – for the most part – in the margins of polite society. And while the general public has long believed in the likely existence of extraterrestrial life in the cosmos – as have astrophysicists, for that matter – the subject of some of that sophisticated alien life already being in our midst has been a different matter altogether; one, for the most part, subjected to the conspiracy theory bin amongst the mainstream.

That clear distinction between these two statements – that other life exists in the cosmos, and that some of that life is already visiting us – began to dissolve somewhat with the revelations brought forward by David Grusch; an insider who had come into contact with clear evidence not just of the presence of these “aliens” in our midst, but furthermore of contact, communication and even agreements being made between elements of the U.S. government and its military services and these factions of so-called non-human intelligence.

For those subjected to the historic enterprise known as alien abduction, these revelations raised new and troubling questions about just how much human governments have not only known about this matter – despite their public denials – but may have been party to them. It is one thing to come to grips with the notion that sophisticated intelligences are able to take you from the comfort of your home with impunity. It is another matter altogether to learn that perhaps your own government has been privy to these activities; and that may have been part of an accord struck between these other intelligences and human governments.

And yet, this is precisely what is on the table; not just as a result of the allegations brought forward by David Grusch, but also because of details that have been provided elsewhere, going into greater detail as to the nature of these accords as they pertain to the matter of abductions. In this week’s podcast we’re going to delve into once such account that purports to describe the nature of the cooperative aspect of these events; detailing how a deeply compartmented element of the U.S. air force was made aware of abductions via telepathic communication received by personnel who had been genetically altered to enhance their capacity to receive said messages from the faction of non-human intelligence who had made this accord.

If true, the implications of this account are not only consequential, but, for many, they are also deeply disquieting. But of course such topics are not ones we shy away from on this podcast. Just how much have human governments – or segmented aspects of them – actually known about these historic abductions? And how exactly was intel passed from an alien faction to a group of human beings privy to this sweeping enterprise? These are precisely the matters we’ll be delving into in this, the 90th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Throughout much of the 20th century there existed a narrative that ran in parallel, but also somewhat in shadow and away from plain sight, to the march of history that we all learned about in school. This parallel narrative spoke of remarkable technological craft, seemingly centuries ahead of our own cutting-edge marvels, and included whispers of encounters with the pilots of said craft, who often both looked somewhat like us: humanoid, bipedal, etc, but also distinctly different, that is to say: “alien”, with huge, wrap around eyes and skin the color and texture of mushrooms.

Within 20th century history, the period where we see these two parallel tracks most oversect, at least initially, was around the turn of what is commonly referred to as the atomic era. If you look at the history of the development and testing of atomic weapons, you will find these Others entering the fray, even if in ways that still didn’t make mention in mainstream news publications. Desert landscapes, mushroom clouds, and flying saucers; these all go hand in hand, when you consider these two parallel track of history.

Towards the latter half of the 20th century, another key intersection occurred; one that saw these others (or perhaps, another group of “others” altogether), entering the fray to embark upon some kind of vast, but secretive genetic program; a program that saw human beings taken aboard apparent craft, and having their reproductive material taken, apparently in the service of the creation of hybrid beings: that is to say, a new creation of humanoid creature that was very much a cross between us, and them.

These key historical developments have long been rumored about in the so-called backrooms of ufology. That said, they have historically been remarkably difficult to surface, for those who have endeavored to see these two parallel tracks considered as undeniably and inextricably connected to each other – which is to say, you cannot reconstruct the true history of the 20th century without seeing these two parallel tracks merged into one. This difficulty is largely attributable to the remarkable success of an official suppression and disinformation program that was operated by the government of the American people, against the American people, as well as others around the world, throughout much of the 20th century, and stretching on into the 21st.

In light of events of the last several weeks and months, however, it’s now clear that this fight for legitimacy amongst the mainstream has taken a sharp turn. So much so, in fact, that those who’ve been investigating these matters for decades and decades have been left with their mouths agape; as they’ve seen these matters, seemingly overnight, being given true governmental attention, and on a bipartisan basis to boot.

Much of this sudden movement in a long deadlocked pattern has to do, of course, with the revelations brought forward by a former intelligence analyst named David Grusch. His unique position within a generational bureaucracy baked in secrecy has allowed him to surface historical matters that, up until now, have existed only within that depths of that parallel, shadow track.

But does this recent development fully explain the apparent urgency we’re now seeing play-out in the halls of power? Those deeply steeped in legacy ufology have long suspected that some of the very politicians who are now taking action have known about these same matters for years, at least in broad strokes. So that still begs the question: Why is this now galloping along at such a breakneck pace? Why is this subject only now garnering what seems to be a truly national focus?

To be clear, the surprising pace of recent events – which has seen each of the main governmental bodies in the United States, in recent weeks, publicly take up the challenge of endeavoring to be transparent about this enigmatic part of our history – has left many wondering if something more than meets the eye might be in play here. After all, finally beginning to move towards transparency is one thing. But what we’re apparently seeing is arguably much more than that. To be clear, we’re now seeing legislation being crafted, by some of the most powerful politicians in the nation, around what is officially being deemed a “disclosure plan”. The question is: Why? And, just as, if not more importantly, why now? These are the very compelling and complex matters we’ll seek to engage with in this, the 87th episode, of the Point of Convergence podcast.

Many within ufology assumed this was the turning point we’d all been waiting for; the historical event that would send this topic fully into hyperdrive, and not just in remote corners of the internet, but, more importantly, within the mainstream. In the end, that wasn’t what happened. The article made waves, to be sure, dragging the topic beyond X-files land, and tantalizingly closer to mainstream acceptance. Still, what many enthusiasts and researchers were left wondering was, why weren’t these revelations enough to really bring us past the threshold into widespread, conventional recognition of the validity of this topic?

That question has lingered, largely in a static status, until this past week, when a new article by the same authors has brought to light startling allegations that take this topic well beyond the matter of strange lights in the sky. According to an article by Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, a former intelligence official turned whistleblower named David Grusch has alleged that elements of the U.S. military are in possession of “intact and partially intact craft of non-human origin.”

Because Grusch has provided this information to Congress and the Intelligence Community inspector general, filing “a complaint alleging that he suffered illegal retaliation for his confidential disclosures,” and because officials have received these concerns as “credible” and “urgent”, once again we seem to be at the precipice of a word ufologists have been bandying about for decades: disclosure. True disclosure. Not hearsay. Not rumors; but true widespread acknowledgement by government officials and widespread acceptance by the populace of the world that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that various beings who represent vast, sophisticated intelligence are here, in our very midst, and, in a collective shock to the system, perhaps have been all along.

As things stand right now, this is a dynamic situation, evolving daily as the story makes its way across the media landscape, inevitably landing anew in the awareness of untold numbers of the general public, and on the desks of government officials all around the world. But where do things stand, really? Is there no turning back at this point? Have we crossed the proverbial event horizon? Is the end result, while still rolling out as we speak, already a foregone conclusion?

Put simply the question is this: will these remarkable recent events finally catapult us into a new era in human civilization, where we recognize we are part of a cosmic neighborhood teeming with life forms we’ve as of yet been largely unaware of? And, if so, what comes next? How will we be changed by these revelations? These are the very pressing and profound questions we’ll seek to find some clarity around on this, the 85th episode of the Point of Convergence podcast.