Angels and Aliens: UFOs and the Mythic Imagination

by Keith Thompson

Book Overview

It was Carl Jung who first spoke of the UFO phenomenon as "a modern myth in the making," and Joseph Campbell who insisted that the first function of myths is "opening mind and heart to the utter wonder of all being." Now Keith Thompson makes it possible for us to share that sense of wonder as he explores the UFO against the timeless backdrop of visionary experience: angelic vision, near-death experiences, shamanic journeys, religious miracles, and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201550849
• ISBN13: 9780201550849
• Release Date: November 1991
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Getting away from believers v. debunkers

This is a useful book, although Thompson does lose me a bit with the UFO-Proteus connection, which was worth a mention but not the kind of extensive treatment given here. Barring the proverbial landing on the White House lawn, we'll never get THE ANSWER to the UFO question. Debunkers will always have a way to explain away sightings; Believers will forever be looking for the definitive evidence, which I doubt is forthcoming. I think Thompson is dead right in trying to help us understand the UFO phenomenon as part of the human condition, if you will. I've been reading extensively about the Roswell incident--and I find that having read Thompson's book, I read the Roswell information in a different light. As always, we're not getting to the bottom of Roswell anymore than we'll ultimately have an answer to the JFK assassination that will satisfy everyone. No one wants to face the reality that human perception, memory, and the telling of narratives is always shaped by psychological, sociological and spiritual matters. I believe that most people who have witnessed UFOs are certainly not lying. We have to look at why we see, remember, and relate the things we do. We're not cameras and we're not tape recorders and thank God for that.

Insightful and Highly Useful, But Still No Cigar

Insightful and Useful, But Still No CigarGreat book. Well written, intriguing insights. Anyone interested in the Paranormal/UFO world needs to read this book. My only "problem" with this book, as with others that share the "Mythos" explanation for UFO experiences, is that it doesn't address all the questions that plague UFO and paranormal events. (I doubt any one theory can.) Vallee, Thompson, Goodwin, Jung, Campbell -- all those writers who take a mythic approach in attempting to provide an answer for UFO and paranormal events ignore the "nuts and bolts" aspects of such encounters. (And many "nuts and bolts" theory fans ignore the more paranormal encounters, etc.) The mythic perspective comes almost right up against the edge of an answer, then backs off. It simply doesn't completely and "realistically" look at the UFO/Paranormal situation.As a sort of "independent researcher in both the folklore and paranormal fields, I certainly appreciate the comparisons to mythic scenarios and present day "myth" -- UFOs. One thing that folklorists and others who study stories know is that such tales contain "oppositions," or"contradictions"...I refer to them as "dualities." Which makes the whole UFO phenomena all the more elusive, of course. Its very nature; changeable, at times contradictory, makes it difficult to study. But the fact that many (not all) UFO encounters contain mythic and legendary elements, and can be easily compared to such earlier traditions as fairy lore, for example, does not cancel out other types of UFO experience. And it is this point that Thompson do not realize. Yes, on one level the mythos is being played out, and we can learn from that. At the same time (duality) "if it quacks like a duck"....In other words, sometimes a UFO, with beams of light, hard cold metal, sounds, visible and physical effects on people, animals, and environment, is just that: a real, actual craft. (Now whether that craft came from within our solar system, outside the galaxy, middle earth, Area 51, or the CIA is another matter.) The fact remains, it's "real" and there is nothing "mythic" about it. However, (duality again) it may be that the responses of witnesses, culture, society and the actions of the UFO and its occupants play out mythic scenarios. The two different settings do not cancel each other out.Does this mean this is a bad book? Of course not. It's a great book, full of valuable information, history and insights; most definitely food for thought. The fact that this psycho=analytical, mythic perspective misses a few components to the phenomena as a whole, or doesn't provide "the big answer" does not mean that this book is to be ignored.I urge everyone to read this book, no matter where you are concerning the UFO and paranormal phenomena.

thoughtful and well written

If you wish to dismiss the strange, or that which "slips through the meshes of the scientific net," then I suggest you pass on this book. If on the other hand you believe (an especially sad word in this context) that UFOs are Sky-God "space brothers," then also pass on this book. But if you like old fashioned scholarship and appreciate the craft of good writing, combined with skepticism and also imagination, then I recommend this book. Those fans of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, and probably William James (freethinkers all), will especially connect.

The best UFO book ever written.

If you have even the slightest interest in the UFO phenomenon, read this book. It is, by far, the most lucid, engaging, insightful, and intelligently written book on the subject. The writing is astonishingly well done for a book on ufology. The information presented is accurate, detailed, and refreshingly objective in its analysis. All sources are thoroughly cited, and the index is very comprehensive. In terms of writing and penetrating honesty, Keith Thompson ranks with the likes of such ufological luminaries as Jacques Vallée, Whitley Strieber, and John Mack. If you're still clinging to the rather naive notion that UFOs are simply alien spacecraft, however, or even the idea that UFOs do not exist--then this book isn't for you. Closed minds don't fare well with a subject such as this.

A thoughtful and important book

I can't praise this book highly enough. Keith Thompson is in a class by himself among those who study the UFO enigma. He wonderfully illustrates the "high strangeness" associated with UFOs and demonstrates their connection with archetype, folklore, imagination and -- gasp! -- perhaps reality. Read this book and change your world.