Page 49 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Late January 2019

When Alien Sightings Turn Into Abductions 49

When Did Alien Sightings

Turn Into Alien

Abductions?

www.airspacemag.com

Reports of encounters with
extraterrestrials took a turn in the
1980s. The question is why.

For 25 years after the first accounts of “flying
saucer” sightings appeared in American
newspapers, reported encounters with aliens
were mostly just that—chance meetings, often
quite pleasant. By the mid-1980s, this had
changed. A new set of stories moved into the
limelight, like the one told by “Susan.”
After undergoing a number of hypnosis
sessions, Susan recalled an incident that
occurred when she was 16 years old and living
in Vermont. One night driving home alone, she
saw an odd darting light in the sky. She stopped
her car to watch. As she stared at the object, she
got the distinct feeling that it was aware of her
presence and was trying to communicate with
From 1894 to 1899, she claimed to have Aykroyd’s wife convinced him to go
her. Suddenly, she felt herself floating upwards,
visions in which she visited Mars and spoke back to sleep, but when he awoke in the
and eventually came to rest on her back on a
with the inhabitants there. She even offered morning, the news was buzzing with reports
table, inside what she took to be a craft. Two of
drawings of the people and landscape. across Canada, New York, and Vermont
the craft’s occupants appeared, and oversaw
It wasn’t until after World War II, reporting that thousands of people felt an urge
what could only be described as an intrusive
however, that witnesses began describing the night before to go outside around 3 a.m.,
operation. In time, it became apparent that both
encounters with aliens here on Earth. Starting in whereupon they witnessed a several-mile-high
Susan and her then boyfriend had been abducted
the early 1950s, a series of individuals—most of spiraling pink vortex.
by these strange beings.
them men living in the southwestern United In 2002, Aykroyd was working on a
Susan’s story was related to the public in
States—claimed they came across documentary for the SciFi channel with a
1987 by the New York artist Budd Hopkins. By
extraterrestrial visitors, who looked like number of recognized names in the world of
that time, Hopkins had established himself as
humans, recounted life on their planets, and ufology, including John Mack. They had filmed
one of a small number of figures researching a
explained that their purpose here was to warn us eight episodes of a series that was close to
phenomenon that came to be called “alien
of the dangers of nuclear destruction. These airing.
abduction.” Throughout the 1980s and 1990s,
“contactees” wrote books, lectured, and gave One day after filming, Aykroyd stepped
Hopkins—along with historian David Jacobs,
interviews about their supposed experiences. outside for a cigarette and answered a phone call
writer Whitley Strieber, and psychiatrist John
The encounters reported by the early from Britney Spears who wanted to talk about
Mack—published bestselling books, gave talks,
contactees were overwhelming friendly, their an upcoming SNL episode. While he was on the
and did interviews detailing the accounts of
aliens benevolent. So, why did things change? phone he said he turned and looked out onto
individuals claiming to have been kidnapped by
It’s worth noting that some of the first claims of 42nd street in New York and noticed a black
extraterrestrials and forced to undergo
kidnapping and experimentation at the hands of SUV with a tall man dressed in black giving him
traumatizing medical procedures. Interest in
extraterrestrials emerged as early as the mid- a dirty look. Aykroyd turned away, but then did
these tales eventually helped inspire films like
1960s, yet they drew only limited public interest a double-take within a matter of a second and
Fire in the Sky and the television series The X-
until after 1980. In my research I’ve been the car had vanished.
Files.
considering a number of possible explanations. Two hours later, Aykroyd and the cast
To this day, the prevailing assumption is
Heightened media attention on new were told the show had been cancelled
that all stories of alien contact have to do with
reproductive technologies, growing concerns completely and would never air. To this day they
abduction. But, in fact, accounts of contact with
over unregulated human experimentation, and were never given a reason why.
aliens went back more than a century and a half,
recognition of mental trauma suffered by Aykroyd said in another interview for
and most had nothing to do with kidnapping and
victims of abuse all helped create a public that he had another encounter with a UFO
abuse. How and when did things change?
atmosphere receptive to these new claims. For during a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. He said he
The idea that there are other inhabited
whatever reason, by the mid 1980s, alien was on the ground looking up and estimated he
worlds in the universe besides our own is an old
abduction’s time had come. [] saw two UFOs moving in synchronicity at an
one, dating back to at least the fourth century
altitude of roughly 50,000 feet in the air, moving
B.C. By 1750, most educated individuals in Dan Aykroyd’s UFO Sightings at a speed of roughly 20,000 mph and travelling
Europe accepted that extraterrestrial
faster than any known aircraft.
civilizations existed, and during the 19th More so than most celebrities who speak
century, many considered it likely that Aykroyd has been outspoken about UFO and on the subject, Aykroyd has undoubtedly done
intelligent life existed on Mars, Venus, and even paranormal experiences he’s had in life, one of his research, citing important cases and experts
the moon. which was confirmed by thousands of people. in the field of ufology when discussing the topic.
Few considered it possible to establish During a trip to upstate New York in the ‘80s, When he’s not (and when he is) promoting his
contact with such beings, however. It wasn’t Aykroyd said he awoke in the middle of the vodka, bottled to resemble the Mayan crystal
until the turn of the 20th century that we see night, telling his wife something outside wanted
him to come see them. skulls, Aykroyd continues to adamantly
more claims of meeting and communicating investigate the UFO phenomenon. Now
with aliens, sometimes by entering trance-like “They’re calling me, I want to go someone just needs to put him in a room with
states. One of the more famous was a Swiss outside. Something outside wants me to come Tom Delonge and record the conversation that
woman who went by the name of Hélène Smith. out and see them,” he said.
ensues. []