Interstellar Hystery

"This artist’s impression shows the first interstellar asteroid: `Oumuamua. This unique object was discovered on 19 October 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawai`i. Subsequent observations from ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile and other observatories around the world show that it was travelling through space for millions of years before its chance encounter with our star system. `Oumuamua seems to be a dark red highly-elongated metallic or rocky object, about 400 metres long, and is unlike anything normally found in the Solar System." Image Source: ESO/M. Kornmesser; image published 20 November 2017.

Since the end of October, astronomers have been buzzing about the first ever observed interstellar visitor to our solar system. Jointly confirmed by ten observatories as it was momentarily captured by the gravity of our sun, this asteroid has arrived from elsewhere in our galaxy. The International Astronomical Union has now given this rock a name, 1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua - pronunciation here). The name is a Hawaiian word meaning “a messenger from afar arriving first.” The asteroid was spotted on 19 October 2017 by Robert Weryk with the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) telescope at the University of Hawaii.

Video Source: Guardian.

What struck me, looking at its path, is how strict and staid the average person's view still is of the cosmos. That is, on the unconscious level, our view of reality is shaped by the order and predictability of our tiny solar system - sun plus planets on a plane, the night sky punctuated by familiar constellations. The visit of 'Oumuamua is a reminder of the scope of space and its unpredictability. Of course, thousands of these interstellar objects regularly enter our system, and our limited knowledge of them is symptomatic of our level of science and technology, rather than their absence.

"A/2017 U1 is probably of interstellar origin. This NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech diagram shows its path of travel from above the plane of our solar system, around the sun and past earth at 44 kilometres per second. It was closest to the sun on Sept. 9." Image Source: NASA JPL/Caltech via Weather Network.

"This diagram shows asteroid 'Oumuamua's path through the solar system. An analysis of its path shows that it is coming from the direction of where the star Vega is now, although Vega would not have been at that location millions of years ago. Now that it is leaving, it is headed for the constellation Pegasus. A new report, written using observations made using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, is now providing even more information about this asteroid." Image Source: ESO/K. Meech et al. via Weather Network.

Ashtar Command - Final Transmission to EARTH (7 November 2017). Video Source: Youtube.

The growing emotional and psychological acceptance - in real terms - of space as a much larger theatre than our solar system cannot be taken lightly. Of course, we have known for decades that the universe is vast. I mean that strictly as modern science defines it. And we have naturally wondered about and mythologized the size of space for as long as we have existed. But considering our human-made craft first reached Pluto only in 2015, it takes time for the collective unconscious to merge with today's rationalist science.

But caught up the collective unconscious has! And it is now consuming the scientific version of reality with a vengeance. Fantasies, legends, and religion blend seamlessly with NASA's press releases, to produce a literal version of both.

For example, the oblong shape of the asteroid is highly unusual, fueling conspiracy theories and UFO neo-religions of the kind outlined in the Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements, vol. 2 (2009; the first edition from 2003 is here; Cambridge also covers similar ground in its Companion to New Religious Movements (2012)).

I previously discussed these neo-religions, as connected to an Internet mytho-history of the 20th century, here. It should probably be called 'hystery.' In this techno-medieval mindset, the old contest of heaven-vs.-hell is mapped onto the heavens. Believers on the Internet think that our planet's global affairs are an ungodly mess because earth is at the centre of a galactic battle between good and evil. The war is being fought right now in reality by spaceships which use our sun and other stars as energetic portals to hop around the Milky Way galaxy. Also, conspiracists claim that there is an armada of spaceships outside our atmosphere, massing for potential battle with the forces which dominate our planet. One of the main blogs which gives updates on this secret war is here.

To quote one of the commenters under the above video:

"They need to just appear, in atmosphere, with a show of force and a clear message broadcasted world-wide or even telepathically so that EVERYONE sees & hears it whether they want to or not."

This Youtuber was not a lone voice in the wilderness; thousands of people believe a galactic showdown, hidden from our sight, is being orchestrated at this moment. To Internet enthusiasts, an asteroid like 1I/2017 U1 is the establishment's limited disclosure to the bovine, enslaved public of what is really happening. More of the same:

"But when will it happen? How can we ascend and learn? So many questions and too little truths proven in our world. Everyday on my way to work I always think what can I do to find a way to help, but it eludes me. Will humanity ever achieve the freedom and peace we've been craving for?"

and

"Well said Commander. I’m with you. I just hope every single member of the cabal has seen or will see this and heed your message, but somehow I doubt they will. After all, sane men and women do not act as they do. Very sad. Namaste!"

and

"Yes, under the Galactic Codex, it is only right to liberate the planet from these dark forces keeping us in captivity from our true lives we all should be living."

and

"LOVE You ASHTAR ! ! ! ! Waiting to meet, with all Stellar brothers and sisters ! ! ! Please come here, and help this Earth ! ! ! LOVE all GALACTIC Federation member's ! ! ! !"

and

"People in all walks of life are initiated, activated, and remember why they came to earth. They remember other lives, other civilizations of which they incarnated in the past. They awaken to the fact that something is wrong, never right, and the real reason why they never fit in. They should never fit in. They are the ground crew and are here to rid humanity and the earth of a very sick control elite. An elite that has been influenced, taken over and in some cases completely suppressed by these invisible negative influences. That's the core problem, do not make a mistake. The only question we need to think about now is who does your service. You do not have the luxury of staying on the wrong side of the fence. Greetings from Germany to all lightworkers and starseeds! Victory of the light!"

and

"I can see the massive celebration in my mind now. It is going to be joy like we have never known. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you Ashtar Command. Victory of the Light!"

and finally, a voice of reason comes in a complaint about the quality of the Youtube video:

"You'd think aliens would have something better than 3D studio"

This contest also takes place, believers say, in the realm of the mind, in astral and other spiritual dimensions. Conspiracists embroider on their fear of a cabal controlling world affairs, and claim that our souls have been tortured and tapped for millennia. This is because our species has unprecedented telepathic abilities which can span immense distances, outstripping far more advanced alien civilizations.

In this mythos - a hybrid of Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Predator, the Matrix, and Avatar - freeing the collective soul of humanity is bound to the survival of this planet. And what happens here will affect the fate of the entire galaxy. It is not so different from the medieval story of reality, except that the angels are now commanders of alien spaceships. The real irony is that the true backdrop for this burgeoning world view is not outer space, but of inner space, in virtual reality.