The Crossing Point
© 1998 Steven M. Greer M.D.

Experience and observation combined with insight often yield a new breakthrough into truth and the nature of reality. Science (and the pursuit of truth in general) is a coordinated blending of empirical observation with knowledge, intellect, insight and often inspiration. And just as it is true that no problem can be solved from the level of consciousness which created it, so too insights into reality and the great scientific developments seldom arise from the current milieu alone but rather are born from something beyond the current status quo. It is frequently resisted, even vilified, when first brought forward - and the current high priests of science are little changed from the Vatican hierarchy who condemned Galileo.

In dealing with the question of extraterrestrial life, this is true in spades. Because the reality which we are pursuing is intrinsically non-human, non-earthly and therefore outside the tidy box of current scientific understanding. By definition, any advanced non-human life form capable of interstellar travel will possess technologies which will look like magic to us. And if we view this quest through late twentieth century anthropocentric eyes alone we are guaranteed to miss 99.9% of the truth. Because the new truth always hovers just outside the current view finder and even the lens of this viewfinder is lamentably defective.

As we scan the heavens for intelligent life with our much vaunted billion channel BETA system at Harvard, have we paused to consider that our instruments may be akin to smoke ring detectors looking for us? That is, if our ancestors tried to detect our civilization by looking for smoke ring signals rising from the forests they would be rather disappointed. For we have forsaken the smoke ring signals for TV and radio signals - but they would lack the instruments to detect these exotic things called electromagnetic signals. Do we really imagine that extraterrestrial life forms - who have evolved on different planets around distant suns - would really be using twentieth century human technologies? Could it be that - between the era of smoke rings and something else - the era of radio waves may be a very brief instant in time...a virtual fad, a fleeting ephemera?

The Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI) has spent literally thousands of hours with thousands of people out under the stars observing phenomena which can only be described as extraordinary. And while we have some few interesting pictures and videotapes of craft appearing and disappearing from view, what has been really interesting could not have been videotaped or photographed - indeed the best of it perhaps could not have been measured at all. This is because the really good stuff, if you will, has occurred just barely in what may be termed conventional reality. Much has happened on both sides of the crossing point of light - but the most interesting has been on the other side. UFOs of extraterrestrial origin simply are not using our current technologies - and if we try to detect and understand them purely from within the tidy box of current scientific knowledge, we are going to be sorely disappointed. Indeed , we will miss 99.9% of the data, and the discovery will be hidden by the fog in our own vision.

What will be presented in this paper will win us few friends. It will be protested as nonsense and it will raise many more questions than find answers. It will greatly disturb the status quo and upset the idle bound. It will be used as evidence that we have gone round the bend, as it were, and that the entire ET matter is just so much hogwash, and so on and so forth. It has been ever thus... Nevertheless, while I have personally been extremely reluctant to put on paper what follows for reasons which will be obvious, it is equally true that this information is the crux of the mystery, and quite possibly the real lesson which the extraterrestrial phenomenon has to teach us. It is all about going to the next step - in knowledge, in science, in truth and in personal experience.

The observations and hypothesis which follow will bring together the conventional empirical data of UFO reports with the more bizarre `high strangeness' experiences of many close encounters. Once a unified theory is understood which bridges matter and mind, machine and consciousness, the physical sciences with the emerging sciences of awareness and thought, then and only then will the disparate and seemingly contradictory ET phenomena make some sense. We are stepping off into a terrain which is our future - and a hidden current reality, though it is largely unappreciated. Upon reading these pages one may be confused as to whether this information is science or spirituality or both or neither or.... Chose your label as you need it and as it makes you comfortable. Truth is always beyond labels anyway.

There is no question that there are extraterrestrial life forms which have found this planet and have been observed for decades near or on the earth. Some think they have been around for hundreds of years, even millennia, and still others think they have been here for millions of years. What is certain is that they are here now. The evidence for this is overwhelming and will not be recounted here. But consider these questions: How did they get here? How does one travel through vast interstellar distances and get someplace within a biological life form's natural life time? And how does one communicate through such vast distances in real time?

Consider: If an extraterrestrial life form is from a star system 1000 light years away (that is the distance a beam of light travels in 1000 years while moving at a speed of 186,000 miles per second), it would take 1000 years for such a life form to get to earth traveling at the speed of light! And another 1000 years to get home again. That is, traveling at the speed of light, it would take at least 2000 years to make a round trip journey. This is the time which has elapsed since the birth of Christ and it is very unlikely that one life form would live long enough to get here, never mind back home. And 1000 light years distance is in our relatively nearby galactic neighborhood. Now lets consider communications. Using radio, microwave, TV or any other electromagnetic signal currently en vogue now on the earth, it would take this ET 1000 years (at the speed of light which is how fast EM signals like radio waves travel) to communicate back home once he arrived here. And another 1000 years for the ET's home planet to answer back. Another 2000 years! Obviously, any star-faring civilization, perforce, will have developed technologies which operate outside of the current twentieth century earth gadgets in use today. Way outside, in fact. So far outside that an entire ET craft could (probably has) hovered right above the SETI radio survey project and they never `saw' it. Why? We were looking with the wrong instruments. We are trying to detect civilizations which are not human with strictly 20th century current technologies. But is there another way?

By definition, as you can see from the above analysis of the time delay in `speed of light' travel and communications systems, any ET civilization capable of getting here from interstellar space will be using technologies which bypass linear time/space as we know it. That is, they must drop out of linear time space reality and actuate communication and travel using technologies - and spectra of reality - way outside of the electromagnetic spectrum currently being used by Harvard and SETI to detect them. Just as x-rays, gamma rays, UV radiation, infrared radiation, radio waves and the like existed before we had instruments to accurately measure them, so too do spectra of reality utilized by advanced ETs. That is, ETs are using aspects of the physical universe which are beyond current non-covert scientific instruments to adequately measure. Remember, we did not invent gamma rays just because we finally developed scientific instruments to detect them. Gamma rays existed for eons before we `discovered' them. They existed, but since they were outside of the visible spectrum seen by the human eye, they were not perceived. Similarly, the ETs are here, but usually exist in spectra of energy outside of current civilian instruments to measure them. Occasionally they pop through/into our measurable reality and end up being seen, photographed, land and even crash (or get shot down). They then will leave traces on a radar scope, or create a significant field flux in certain energy spectra, such as microwave, ultrasound and the like. But then they are gone. To....where? To...what? To ...when?

Indeed, this is the real challenge. After 35 years of observing these objects at various times, I am convinced that through frequency shifts and very high energy physics, these objects and the life forms within them move between linear space time and other spectra of physical energy and physical reality outside of current detection capabilities. Some have called this inter-dimensional or multi-dimensional shifting, verbiage only useful once defined clearly. But once understood and experienced, you find that it is other dimensional in the same way gamma rays would have been supernatural to cavemen: in reality, all of these `dimensions' are not so `other' after all, but are part and parcel of this reality and folded away within it. Unfortunately, some researchers have concluded that the UFOs are not extraterrestrial but are rather inter-dimensional instead. It is quite clear to us from our own direct research that they are both. That is, the nature of the ET reality is very much like our own - only they are using a bit of a wider spectrum of reality for travel, communication and related tasks. This wider spectrum crosses over into phenomena which some have termed inter-dimensional and the like, but in reality it is all present within this reality, only it is finer, more subtle and currently unmeasurable by our scientific instruments in the civilian arena (covert programs do have such capabilities).

To bring this discussion into focus and tangible reality,consider this account from a CSETI military witness. One evening I got a phone call from a gentleman who had worked in the Air Force and also with Kelly Johnson at Lockheed Skunkworks. He had called ostensibly to offer to be one of the CSETI military witnesses to UFO events - but his larger purpose was to get my feedback on an experience which he had in the early to mid 1960s. At that time he was studying a tradition which helped people to have so-called out of body or astral projection experiences. This is when the subtle or astral body leaves the physical body and flies off somewhere. One day, his teacher told him that he was ready to have such an experience fairly soon, and that evening he indeed had his first OBE (out of body experience). But what happened really surprised him. After many disclaimers on his part to the effect that he was an altogether sane and rational person, and apologizing in advance for going into something so strange and bizarre, he related the following: As soon as he left his physical body, he shot up through the ceiling of his house, into the space above - and then slammed into the side of an extraterrestrial spacecraft hovering somewhere high in our atmosphere. As he did so, he literally rocked the spacecraft (remember this is in his astral body) and popped into the craft, whereupon he saw some ETs at a console who looked over at him, saw him, and had an expression as if to say, `My God, why don't you watch where you are going!'

I have no doubt that this man is telling me the absolute truth about what he experienced. I have no doubt whatsoever that he had an OBE, went out into the space above his house uncontrollably, and slammed into an actual ET craft - which was hovering in an energy form closely akin to whatever energy form we are in when we have an OBE or a very lucid dream. He rocked the spacecraft with his astral body and the ETs inside saw him (and he saw them). Now consider: what form of energy was this military man in and what form were the ETs in? If the ETs were the same as an angel or a ghost or the like, why would they be in a technologically advanced spacecraft operating a computer console? Angels do not need computers....

Now, this man - who was very timid about relating this story to me because he thought that I would consider him a crackpot of some type - was surprised when I explained that this is a very common experience and went further to explain the nature of ET technologies as they function beyond the crossing point of light. That is, the spectrum or aspect of physical energy which ET craft and people are capable of shifting in and out of approximates what the mystics and ancient traditions would call the astral field or plane. That we cannot adequately detect and measure this component of reality is no reason to dismiss empirical observation and experience. After all, empirical observation and experience is the mother of all science. Remember Newton observing the apple falling from the tree.

But what is the connection between this so-called astral or etheric aspect and ET technologies? And why are they related at all? To understand this we have to ask the question "What is beyond the crossing point of light?". That is, what is beyond the light barrier - what do you experience when you exceed the speed or vibration of light and electrons and even subatomic particles? What exists when you traverse that barrier and go beyond the speed of light and the frequency and energy of matter? By definition any ET civilization which is here has interstellar travel and communications capabilities. This means that they operate on the other side of the light/matter barrier as easily as we use radio signals and fly on jets. This is their reality and world. This is their cell phone and automobile. This is their existence technologically, theoretically and every-day practically. But it sure looks like magic to us.

Consider this: When you traverse the veil of light, what do you find? What is beyond the crossing point of light? How do the physics work? What is space and time like? At that level, can we measure a thought and call it a thoughtron? Can mind and machine become integrated and operate seamlessly? What is life like there? What is experience like? How would we know that reality? To begin to address these issues, however briefly, we must elucidate a cosmology which can accommodate the observed facts and experiences from both sides of the crossing point of light/matter. Here, I must digress into my own understanding of reality, inwardly and outwardly, and will ask for your patience in advance. This discussion will take us into areas which make many uncomfortable, especially those with scientific backgrounds or very conventional religious backgrounds. What I share here is admittedly from my own experience and background and so I ask your forbearance in considering the ideas and terminology which follows.

First, let me state my bias: That God exists and is omnipresent in every way imaginable. Now, this is quite counter to my up-bringing and training since I was raised a very devout atheist by parents who did not believe anything existed which could not be measured in a test tube. Nevertheless, my experience has shown otherwise and at any rate God exists whether we acknowledge Him or not... Therefore, the cosmology which I present below factors into the equation the universal component of mind, which some may call the impersonal aspect of God. The Great Mind, the Universal Mind, the Pre-existent Mind, the Absolute.

As I have come to understand this cosmos, the basis of all existence - every atom, every star, every molecule and every person - is a non-local essence which is present at every point in time and space and yet is bound by no point in space or time or matter. This essence is awake, intelligent and knowing. It is conscious. It is mind. It is the awakeness of awareness, the undifferentiated pure intelligence and mind of the universe. It is present in every blade of grass and pervades the vacuum of space and the farthest reaches of the universe - and yet it cannot be divided or localized to one point in space or time or matter. That is, it is a unitive state, present always, but indivisible, and its effect is to create a oneness without the possibility of division. Its effect also, once recognized, is to make everything non-local, that is every point in space and time is a window, an entry point to every other point in space and time. The permeating, integrating aspect of this intelligent essence is such that all that exists is always connected and actually accessible through this non-local, integrated aspect of existence.

The structure of existence is that this non-local, conscious and intelligent component of existence is unchangeable and is unaffected by relativity or changes in space, time, matter and so forth. And yet paradoxically it is very present in every grain of sand and every galaxy - only in a form which is always one, indivisible and whole. Through its organizing and integrating aspects, non-locality exists at the very local level, whether one considers the microscopic or macroscopic level of existence. That is, the cosmos is integrated in such a fashion that there is absolute integration at every level - and so the mystics were right when they said that one could behold the cosmos in a drop of water.

From this Pre-existent, Absolute field of intelligence and consciousness emerges all else. Again, paradoxically, the unified field of consciousness and intelligence, while indivisible, is present at every level, no matter how small or large. The Absolute remains the Absolute - and yet it is present in every quark - but not bound or limited or divided by the quark. For this wonderful Nothingness (which is the fullness of absolute awareness) to give rise to the expressed cosmos, with all of its stars and galaxies and atoms and peoples, a creative process exists which is at once simple and elegantly complex. That is, from the plane of the Absolute - that pervasive, ever-present and indivisible state - creation comes forth and is maintained by what has been termed the Creator aspect of God. The critical elements of this process are will, the sound component of thought, then the visual component of thought and then the structural aspect of the astral world and then the matrix of the material world, expanding and encompassing the entirety of the universe.

The Creator aspect of the Absolute, through the operation of His Will, creates the cosmos from very subtle to very material as follows: The sound component of pure idea-forms/thought give rise to the aspect (you may think dimension if you must) of the universal which is the sound quality of the idea/thought for each and every created thing - whether an ant or a galaxy. Evolution and change occurs around and through the blue-print of this initial idea form of creation. The entirety of the cosmos exists as and through this sound component of thought. The essence of non-local, omnipresent mind/intelligence is present at this and every stage which follows. In some traditions, this idea/sound component or form of the entire universe and everything within it is called the `causal or causative world'. In Biblical and other traditions I believe this is what is meant by the Word of God, `In the beginning there was the Word...'.

The sound/idea component of thought then gives rise to a less abstract but still very fine and subtle aspect which some have called `astral' but which I prefer to regard as the conscious-intelligent visual (CIV). This aspect, which has within it the blueprint causal or idea/thought/sound of the causal world, is more defined and is `seen' or visible as expressed thought related forms. It is vast and beautiful and many lucid dreams involve interactions with that realm or aspect. The military man who had the out of body experience had an astral or CIV body interaction with an ET craft, which was phase shifted primarily into this energy form or aspect (more on this later).

Absolute, undifferentiated Mind, together with the causal idea/sound/thought form and the CIV or astral form create a matrix which supports or gives rise to the so-called material universe. The blue-print, if you will, of ideas/thought/sound and subtle CIV form actually supports and helps create the more gross or expressed material universe. But the material universe has within it the unitive, indivisible Absolute mind, as well as the causal and CIV aspects. Indeed, each and every aspect of the expressed material universe which science can study and measure with current instruments has associated with it all of these finer aspects or spectra of energy. It is incorrect to regard, therefore, these aspects as purely distant `other dimensions' since the warp and woof of the material cosmos is conscious, thought form based and has an astral or CIV matrix within it (or associated with it).

This rather brief and simple overview admittedly leaves out a number of details, best left to another treatment. However, it should be noted that at each level described above there are many gradations and expressions of detail. That is, the causal and CIV aspects have within them a multitude of differentiations, expressions and laws of function much like the material cosmos has fine sub-atomic particles and vast swirling galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Indeed, the details and laws affecting these vast realms dwarf those of the material cosmos and it is too obtuse a matter to elucidate in this paper.

The human being (and this would include other non-homosapien higher intelligent life forms, ie ETs) has every aspect (or dimension) folded within him. Human consciousness, or spirit, is always connected, however unknowingly by the individual, to the Absolute conscious being. In fact, as mentioned earlier, consciousness or pure mind in its essential aspect is simply that whereby we are awake - or that whereby we are. It is a unitive state and is not divisible. It is always essentially one with the Absolute, but we are trained to see only multiplicity and separation. Thus individuation overwhelms the unitive state - and we think we are separate. It is a perceptual defect which the practices of all religions, in the form of rituals, prayer and meditation, attempt to correct.

An ancient Sufi tradition, attributed to Ali, states "Thinkest thyself a puny form when within thee the universe is folded?" This rhetorical question serves as a reminder of the holographic nature of mind and the human being's potential place in the universe: Through the experience of the non-local, omnipresent aspect of mind or consciousness, every aspect of the universe can be directly accessed and experienced. This is because the non-local aspect of consciousness is essential to awareness itself. It is always `there' and need only be experienced.

This aspect or nature of mind is why people occasionally have spontaneous experiences of non-locality: They will have a dream and the next day, or the next year, the events perceived in the dream will unfold precisely as seen. How can this happen?

The nature of mind is that it is unitive, indivisible and present at every point in time and space - but bound or limited by no aspect of space or time. This means that both distant points in space and time can be accessed through this faculty. Human history is filled with such accounts, and while they are generally dismissed as curiosities by modern day science, in fact they hold the key to understanding the next great leap in scientific exploration: The study of consciousness and non-local reality.

In the lucid dream, the individual experiences increasing non-locality as the so-called astral or CIV aspect of the person awakens or perceives a distant point in space and/or time. This is less mysterious once we understand that mind or consciousness is always existing in its basic nature as a unitive state which transcends the limits of both time and space. Through it, any point in space and time can be accessed, at first one at a time. This should not be confused with the prerogatives and powers of God however. God , the Absolute universal mind, knows all things at all times and at all places, all at once, all of the time. But the individual person, through the faculties described above and by the very nature of the unitive state of mind which is essential to his basic awareness, can experience precognition, inspiration, intuition, remote viewing and the like.

Dr. Robert Jahn at Princeton University has studied another aspect of this non-locality of consciousness as it pertains to mechanical systems. The reader should study the results of these experiments which demonstrate that mind and thought, directed for example at a random number generator, can affect the outcome of the device. This can be accomplished because there is a nexus or link between awareness and matter: the warp and woof of matter is woven in with consciousness and in fact is simply mind-stuff expressed at a different frequency. Thus, an individual can affect his body, another person's health through prayer and visualization or even mechanical systems via thought and consciousness.

Dr. Larry Dossey and others have collected many interesting scientific studies which demonstrate this non-local nature of mind or of reality. The reader should study these for a fuller understanding. History is filled with accounts of such enigmas: the person in prayer who spontaneously levitates, the adept who can materialize or dematerialize objects or teleport objects across the room etc. While easy to dismiss as anecdotal or superstitious tales, the history of humanity as well as recent scientific experiments clearly establish that consciousness is non-local, can operate outside of time and space as we define it and can clearly affect distant inanimate objects or machines.