Showing posts with label mojave desert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mojave desert. Show all posts
GEORGE VAN TASSEL BELIEVED HE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH ALIENS
By Laura Clarksmithsonian.com January 9, 2015
AT FIRST GLANCE, THERE'S NOT ALL THAT MUCH EXCITING ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED THE "WORLD'S BIGGEST ROCK." IT'S AS HUGE AS ITS NICKNAME SUGGESTS-A FREESTANDING BOULDER ABOUT SEVEN STORIES HIGH AND COVERING ABOUT 58,000 SQUARE FEET IN CALIFORNIA'S MOJAVE DESERT.
BUT VISITORS TO THE ROCK DON'T TYPICALLY GO THERE FOR GEOLOGY; THEY COME, OFTEN, BECAUSE OF THE ROCK'S ASSOCIATION WITH A RACE OF SPACE CREATURES WITH "GOOD HEALTHY TAN[S]."
GIANT ROCK AS IT APPEARS TODAY. (JOE REDAKUMA VIA FLICKR)
GIANT ROCK, AS IT IS FORMALLY CALLED, WAS ONCE JUST ONE OF MANY BOULDERS SCATTERED OVER AN ARID SWATH OF UNUSED GOVERNMENT LAND. NATIVE AMERICANS MAY HAVE VIEWED IT AS A SPIRITUAL SITE, BUT IT WASN'T INHABITED UNTIL THE 1930S, WHEN FRANK CRITZER ARRIVED, AS SASHA ARCHIBALD WRITES IN CABINET MAGAZINE.NO ONE KNOWS HOW HE CAME UPON THE ROCK, AND TECHNICALLY HE WAS A SQUATTER, BUT HE SURE DID SETTLE IN. HE DUG OUT A CAVE UNDER THE BOULDER, BUILT A RUNWAY FOR SMALL PRIVATE PLANES AND CARVED OUT 33 MILES OF ROAD LEADING TO THE NEAREST PAVED STREET. IN 1942, DURING A VISIT BY POLICE, CRITZER WAS KILLED WHEN AN OLD BOX OF DYNAMITE EXPLODED. WITH THE FIRST OWNER GONE, GIANT ROCK ONLY BECAME WEIRDER.THAT SAME YEAR, PERHAPS INTRIGUED BY CRITZER'S EXPLOITS, GEORGE VAN TASSEL, A 32 YEAR-OLD OHIO NATIVE AND AVIATION TRADESMAN, VISITED THE SITE AND DECIDED TO LIVE THERE. HE BOUGHT THE LAND AROUND GIANT ROCK FROM THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT AND, IN 1947, MOVED HIMSELF, HIS WIFE, EVA AND THREE DAUGHTERS FROM LOS ANGELES TO THEIR NEW DESERT HOME.AS ARCHIBALD EXPLAINS, MOST OF WHAT'S KNOWN ABOUT VAN TASSEL IS GLEANED FROM HIS OWN WRITINGS AND FROM HIS DEVOTEES-NOT EXACTLY OBJECTIVE SOURCES. BY HIS DEATH IN 1978, HE HAD BECOME A KIND OF NEW-AGE PHILOSOPHER, UFO "EXPERT" AND THE LEADER OF MINISTRY OF UNIVERSAL WISDOM, A RELIGION HE CREATED. ONE THING IS CLEAR, THOUGH: VAN TASSEL BELIEVED HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH ALIENS.IN HIS FIRST BOOK, "I RODE A FLYING SAUCER", PUBLISHED IN 1952, HE DESCRIBES MEETING THOSE TANNED SPACE CREATURES, WHO TRANSMITTED KNOWLEDGE TO HIM THROUGH TELEPATHY. VAN TASSSEL CLAIMED THAT SOLGANDA, THE ALIENS' LEADER ULTIMATELY INSTRUCTED HIM ON HOW TO BUILD A TIME MACHINE THAT WOULD HEAL AND STRENGTHEN HUMANS-AND SO, ABOUT THREE MILES SOUTH OF GIANT ROCK, HE BUILT A TWO-STORY-HIGH WHITE DOME, THE INTEGRATRON. THOUGH HE WORKED ON IT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, IT WAS NEVER QUITE FINISHED.
THE INTEGRATRON AS IT STANDS TODAY. (CHRISTOPHER MICHEL VIA FLICKR)
VAN TASSEL CLAIMED AT ONE TIME THAT THE MACHINE'S DESIGN CAME FROM A 17-PAGE ALIEN EQUATION. THE MORE LIKELY INSPIRATION WAS THE RESEARCH OF A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST NAMED GEORGE LAKHOVSKY, WHOSE THEORIES INCLUDED THE IDEA THAT HUMAN BODIES WERE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AND THAT CANCER COULD BE CURED BY HIS MULTIPLE WAVE OSCILLATOR. THE INTEGRATRON TIME MACHINE WAS A VARIATION ON THESE IDEAS. ARCHIBALD WRITES:"LIKE AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH, THE INTEGRATRON WAS AN AMALGAM OF ARCHITECTURE AND MACHINE. ITS PURPOSE WAS NOT TO TRANSPORT A FIXED BODY TO A DIFFERENT TIME, AS TIME MACHINES TYPICALLY DO, BUT TO ELIMINATE TIME'S EFFECT ON A BODY; THE MACHINE PRODUCED TIME, RATHER THAN SUCK IT AWAY."
INTERIOR OF THE INTEGRATRON (CHARLIE VINZ VIA FLICKR)
BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1950S, IN ORDER TO RAISE MONEY FOR HIMSELF AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MACHINE, VAN TASSEL HELD UFO CONVENTIONS AROUND GIANT ROCK. AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POPULARITY, THE CONVENTION IS THOUGHT TO HAVE ATTRACTED OVER A THOUSAND ATTENDEES. "LIFE "EVEN SHOT A SERIES OF PHOTOS DOCUMENTING THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE "FLYING SAUCER CONVENTION OF 1957," WHERE BELIEVERS SHARED ALIEN EXPERIENCES AND THEORIES ON EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE.TODAY, THE UNFINISHED INTEGRATRON STILL STANDS OUT IN THE DESERT, CARED FOR BY THE CURRENT OWNERS, WHO PUT IT TO USE AS A SITE FOR "SOUND BATHS" WHICH, ACCORDING TO THEIR WEBSITE, ARE "60-MINUTE SONIC HEALING SESSIONS THAT CONSIST OF 25 MINUTES OF CRYSTAL BOWLS PLAYED LIVE." AND THOUGH VAN TASSEL'S CONVENTIONS ENDED IN THE 1970S, IN 2006, DEVOTEES CONVENED FOR CONVENED FOR A DAY-LONG "RETRO UFO CONVENTION." THE "INDEPENDENT" REPORTS:OLD-TIMERS RECALLED THE GLORY DAYS OF SPOTTING MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS IN THE DESERT SKY. PRESENT-DAY BELIEVERS SPOKE ENTHUSIASTICALLY ABOUT THEIR OWN CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, EVERYWHERE FROM ARIZONA TO NEW YORK CITY. THOSE BLESSED WITH ACTUAL CONTACT WITH THE ALIENS - KNOWN IN THE VERNACULAR AS "CONTACTEES" - WERE WELCOMED LIKE PROPHETS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM, COMPLETE WITH SHINY SILVER HATS AND CLOAKS THAT LOOKED EERILY LIKE CAST-OFFS FROM THE STAR TREK WARDROBE DEPARTMENT.VAN TASSEL WOULD HAVE FELT RIGHT AT HOME. READ MORE: HTTP://WWW.SMITHSONIANMAG.COM/SMART-NEWS/UFO-RELATED-HISTORY-WORLDS-BIGGEST-ROCK-180953862/#HLK87TSQ6ZGITFIF.99
After the church moved in and cleaned up, the group was allowed to continue to exist in its new form, and, under its new authority: the church. I wrote:
Since 1992, the group has been under the authority of a Vatican appointed overseer, Dominican Father Benoit Duroux, who handed over his responsibilities to his fellow Dominican Fr. Daniel Ols in March 2010.
Something happened that caused Opus Angelorum to morph into something the Vatican could approve of, "obedience" being one cause for the Vatican's acceptance of the group:
Today, thanks to the obedience of its members, the Opus Angelorum can be considered to be living loyally and serenely in conformity with the doctrine of the Church and with canonical and liturgical law," the Vatican said.
"Therefore, in its present state, the Opus Angelorum is a public association of the Church in conformity with traditional doctrine and with the directives of the Holy See."
Today an Associated Press item reports on another renegade group: Intercessors of the Lamb.
Intercessors of the Lamb was founded by Nadine Brown in 1980. The group of men and women live frugally and devote themselves to prayer. The church decided to denounce the group; this is called "suppression" a formal term used by Catholics and scholars:
The church's split with the Intercessors -- known in Catholic circles as suppression -- is more about control over the groups' form and function, the scholars say... Suppression is typically reserved for floundeirng parishes and inactive church groups, but is occasionally used to silence wayward organizations. On the Opus Angelorum site is the official letter from the church that details the current, approved state of Opus Angelorum, and reminds members of any ideas about straying away from official doctrine. "Suppression" hovers just around the corner:
In this letter, the Congregation at the same time warns Bishops of "some former members, including priests who either left or were expelled from the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross" and who "have not accepted the norms given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and seek to restore what, according to them, would be the 'authentic Opus Angelorum', that is, a movement which professes and practices all those things which were forbidden by the above-mentioned documents."
Brown was forced to resign from the religious organization she founded, and was forcefully removed from the premises. Brown writes:
Monday morning, October 4, 2010, Fr. Joe Taphorn, accompanied by two Douglas County Sheriffs, came to Mary's House to present a letter to me from the Archbishop stating I was to vacate the property by noon, three and one half hours later. It was also stated that I was not to leave the Archdiocese of Omaha without specific permission from the Archbishop. However, two minutes before noon, word came that I had an extension and could stay until 2:00 p.m. the next day, October 5, 2010. In obedience, I complied with this and left the property the next day via taxi. Because I was given no money and had no place to go, a friend provided accommodations in an Omaha motel. Since the Archbishop indicated that I could not leave the Archdiocese of Omaha without his permission, I requested permission a week later to make a retreat elsewhere. I was denied the permission and consequently was obedient to this directive as well. Because the other nine sisters and the one brother had informed their Superiors that they were taking sabbaticals, they were free to go anywhere and they chose to join me. Consequently, there is no disobedience whatsoever on the part of these former sisters and brother. I found the part about the sheriffs interesting. Indeed, as I was reading the newspaper article in this morning's paper, I made a note: "what" authority?" in response to the following:
ARCHDIOCESE OFFICIALS SAID BROWN RESIGNED VOLUNTARILY AFTER IT RAISED ISSUES WITH THE WAY THE GROUP WAS BEING RUN. BROWN CLAIMS SHE WAS FORCED OUT AND ESCORTED OFF THE GROUPS' PROPERTY BY AUTHORITIES. [bold mine]It seems money is very much an issue here. According to the newspaper article, Intercessors of the Lamb earned close to four million dollars, and "net assets... more than six million." The group owns eithy six acres in Ponca Hills, Nebraska. (I did a quick scan of various Catholic blogs that are discussing this; one such is here, and also here.)
Both Opus Sanctorum Angelorum and Intercessors of the Lamb were started by women. Nadine Brown was a sister in the Contemplentives of the Good Shepherd before leaving the order to start Intercessors of the Lamb. Both groups focus not on a single (and male) deity, but female representations, guides and go-betweens - intercessors - that are messengers between human and divinity. The church, as institution, has been cut out. Brown closes her letter on the Intercessor website with this reminder:
IN CLOSING, "LET US CONTINUE TO LIVE AS CHILDREN OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE LAMB, AND HER "FIAT GRACE" to "do whatever He tells you" truly believing "that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His decree."[bold, italics mine]Brown's daily message for November 26, 2010 focuses on the "feminine dimension of our soul.":
This work of solitude is always the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Hosea 2:16 we read, "I will lead her into the desert and there I will speak to her heart."... The Church is the "her." We, each of us, are a "she" because of the feminine dimension of our soul. "And there I will speak to her heart." Even when Jesus was with the woman at the well, He was there drawing her into that encounter with Himself, into that love. He spoke to her of the Holy Spirit and the Father. And she was alone there with Him. She was drawn there at noontime, which was not the time of day when women would normally draw water. She was drawn there by the Holy Spirit for this encounter. That is a solitary encounter. That is a desert experience right there. "The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of..." Rev 12:6The desert setting and the feminine encountering spiritual forces -- "that is a desert experience right there...the woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God..." brings to mind many of the contactees, who had their encounters in the desert. In particular, I'm reminded of contactee Dana Howard,("Up Rainbow Hill, Over the Threshold, My Flight to Venus,") who had a deep passion for the desert, finding great peace there and where she had many meetings with the entity called Diane. (I wrote the introduction to Tim Beckely's Global Communication reissue of "Over the Threshold" on Howard's mystical ties to the desert.)
Another desert contactee is George Van Tassel, who was also pulled by the mystery of the desert. Van Tassel lived in the desert and built the Integreton, a bulidng that would facilitate meetings with extraterrestrails. Van Tassel's buliding was round:
"Angel Cloud Over Dome" via the Welcome to The Integratron site
And so is the Intercessors of the Lamb's building:
The angel cloud formation above The Integratron dome is interesting. The building, and Giant Rock, home to Van Tassel, sits on a powerful spot:
The location of the Integratron is an essential part of its functioning. Its placement was chosen based on a complex set of theories involving the earth's magnetic field and the Integratron's relationship to the Great Pyramid in Egypt and Giant Rock, the world's largest freestanding boulder. In 1947, Van Tassel began operating the Giant Rock Airport three miles away from the Integratron, and in 1953 initiated communications with extra-terrestrials after a physical encounter at Giant Rock. He subsequently hosted 17 Spacecraft Conventions there for UFO enthusiasts.
According to Van Tassel, the Integratron is located on an intersection of powerful geomagnetic forces that, when focused by the unique geometry of the building, will concentrate and amplify the energy required for rejuvenation and healing. In 2005, a geophysicist measured the earth's magnetic field for up to 15 miles in every direction from the Integratron and then inside the dome. She proclaimed that there is a significant, unexplainable spike in the earth's magnetic field in the center of the Integratron. ~ from the Welcome to The Integratron site.
