Alchemy of the Aether
"This system is meta-logical, but not metaphysical. It violates no laws because it is the substance from which laws are made."
One of the most consistent frustrations I have with various theories surrounding the origin of UFOs is the chronic anthropomorphization of the intelligence behind the phenomenon. Overlaying human concepts and motivations onto an enigma that has confounded our species for millennia doesn't seem to have brought us any closer to the truth. More abstract ideas have been sidelined for several obvious reasons.
Ego may be the one human attribute in particular that has prevented certain hypotheses from gaining traction. As the organism at the top of our planet's food chain (at least publicly known), Homo sapiens feel entitled enough to assume that we would be the most desirable life form for a more advanced species to engage with. Our culture often portrays alien morphology as humanoid, implying that any intelligence similar to ours would require an almost identical evolutionary path.
Our hubris is also demonstrated by the discomfort many feel about the possibility of a more advanced intelligence visiting (or inhabiting) Earth and treating us with indifference. This is despite the fact that the majority of humans feel this exact way about almost all non-human species on Earth, as evidenced by our destruction of forests and addiction to fossil fuels.
Many in UFO circles like to assume a more civilized race would exhibit inherent benevolence, ignoring how our own engagement with "lesser" organisms often does not end well for these species. Humanity views its own existence through rose-colored glasses out of necessity, so it makes sense that we do the same when anthropomorphizing a non-human intelligence.
However, the broader problem is how we define "intelligence." This complicated question has come to the forefront very recently with the overwhelming adoption of AI and its growing number of applications. A commonly invoked experiment to measure synthetic intelligence is the Turing test—an "imitation game" that deduces whether a computer can interact with a human in a way that is indistinguishable from another member of our species. This once again demonstrates our obsession with defining intelligence as a uniquely human trait and narrows the aperture of our understanding of nature.
But what if nature, and the system that defines it, is intelligent in its own non-human way?
What’s Old is New Again
The oft-quoted phrase "as above, so below" might be considered an overused New Age trope in 2024, but its origins are based in Hermetic tradition and attributed to the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus—a legendary Hellenistic figure said to merge the identities of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. The Emerald Tablet, dating back as far as the 2nd Century A.D., was considered the foundational text of alchemy.
The phrase suggests a fundamental symmetry between the macrocosm and the microcosm, implying that the same patterns and laws observable in the cosmos can also be found at smaller scales, and vice versa. This concept is particularly intriguing in the context of quantum physics, as the recognition of macroscopic quantum phenomena would introduce an entirely new understanding of reality and potentially explain the behavior of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).
Jacques Vallée, one of the most renowned UFO researchers in history, was deeply influenced by Hermetic traditions early on through his involvement in Rosicrucianism as a teenager. Although he dropped out of the formal Rosicrucian Order in the mid-1960s, it is fair to speculate that his most prominent theory regarding UFOs may have been influenced by these principles.
Vallée posits that the UFO phenomenon is part of a control system for human consciousness, affecting our species on a social level through encounters with different entities that manifest physically depending on an individual's personal belief system. He describes this feedback loop as similar to a thermostat in his book The Invisible College.
It progresses by oscillations, drawing from the antagonism of fire and ice, warm and cold, evil and good—all myths for the feeble minds of men, equally bound by higher laws. For hot and cold are only relative to a mean, two appearances of a single fact: the motion of molecules. Few people have grasped both the physics and the beauty of it.
What is the variable being controlled in this control system? Thermostats control temperature; gyroscopes control the direction in which a rocket flies. What could a paranormal phenomenon control? I suggest that it is human belief that is being controlled and conditioned.
Myths define the set of things scholars, politicians, and scientists can think about. They are operated upon by symbols, and the language these symbols form constitutes a complete system. This system is meta-logical, but not metaphysical. It violates no laws because it is the substance from which laws are made.
So if the UFO phenomenon, and mythological entities more generally, are part of this control system of human consciousness, what does that look like on scales both "above and below"?
If the universe is a fractal assortment of quantum systems governed by the same physical laws of nature that the human brain—and therefore consciousness—must abide by, does that mean the universe itself possesses some unimaginable super-intelligence?
If that is the case, then what is our role within this larger cosmic system?
Do smaller systems within our biological "inner universe" play a similar role to our own, just on a more micro scale?
The Inner Universe
One potential analogy for a control system within our "inner universe" may be similar to the systems at the cosmic scale. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) serves as our inner control system through self-regulation, determining our heart rate, digestion, and respiration without our conscious intervention.
Breathing, in particular, is a unique physiological function because we can fully override this normally subconscious process that is critical for maintaining homeostasis. Holding our breath underwater or practicing singing techniques are just two examples of exploiting this function for temporary benefit.
Breathing control exercises can also lead to a domino effect on other aspects of homeostasis during stressful situations, allowing us to slow down our heart rate and blood pressure through relaxation techniques such as meditation. Engaging in conscious breathing can also serve as a form of biofeedback, helping individuals become more aware of their physiological states and how they can control their responses to stress and anxiety.
In this context, it is intriguing to contemplate how deliberate conscious mastery over our body's control system, the ANS, is seen as a major achievement in spiritual development. Viewed through this lens of attaining enlightenment, we can observe the mind’s potential to transcend ordinary physical limitations. Shamanic rituals are another example, where altered states of consciousness involve controlling the ANS to withstand extreme conditions or perform seemingly supernatural feats.
As these ancient practices of controlling our inner control system are viewed as avenues through which one may connect with the larger universe in a more intimate manner, one has to wonder what other biofeedback mechanisms may be prohibiting us from doing so.
Another mechanism that affects our reality on both social and homeostatic levels is the brain's default mode network (DMN). The DMN is heavily involved in processes related to self-referential thoughts—internal reflections on oneself, memory recall, envisioning the future, and daydreaming. DMN activity is typically reduced while an individual is focused on external tasks but is predominant when the mind is at rest or not engaged with the surrounding environment.
It would be fair to say that the DMN is akin to the "ANS of the brain." In fact, suppression of the DMN and leading to conscious control of the ANS can be linked directly. Studies have shown that DMN activity decreases significantly during meditation or mindfulness practices—the same processes that can interfere with the ANS, usually in a positive manner. It is also interesting to note that the DMN largely deactivates when someone is under the influence of psychedelic substances, a well-known aspect of shamanic rituals.
So, we can surmise that the DMN may act as some type of filter for our reality; a control mechanism that is always our default state when we are not consciously performing a task outside of ourselves. The fact that psychedelics also shut down the DMN suggests more information is being let in and actively interacted with by our brains, rather than just a series of passive hallucinations triggered by specific chemicals.
If the UFO phenomenon is truly a control system with the purpose of socially engineering our species, then there may potentially be a connection between these experiences and the default mode network itself. The DMN is vital in our analysis and interpretation of our current social status, constantly causing us to compare ourselves to other humans in a constant feedback loop for understanding how we are perceived by the world.
If a larger system were able to inject a paranormal experience into this socially-focused feedback loop of an individual who possessed a powerful cultural position, large changes in that system's structure could be achieved in a short period of time, and in a relatively clandestine manner. Perhaps this is the deceptive "trickster" element of the phenomenon that alters belief systems and is spoken of by many, including Vallée himself.
The Record Keepers
One of the most abstract questions we are now led to involves control systems on the cosmic scale. Abstract questions often require abstract answers, and the details may lie within a mystery that has puzzled astronomers for decades.
Dark matter, as it is known, is a form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect light. This matter is essentially invisible to our sensors and can only be detected through its gravitational effects on other observable matter. Although we don't quite understand it fully, dark matter plays an essential role in the structure of the universe.
Because of this, dark matter has obviously played an integral role in the evolution of the universe, just as the DMN has played a vital role in our societal progress and the ANS in human evolution itself. Dark matter may also be a kind of control system, regulating galactic dynamics by helping maintain the rotation of galaxies and maintaining stability against gravitational collapse.
Additionally, if dark matter interacts through forces other than gravity, it may act as a feedback mechanism that affects cosmic evolution through interactions that may control events like the rate of star formation. If dark matter can be integrated into a unified framework, perhaps the existence of a universal control mechanism can be proven.
It is impossible to know if and how humanity can influence dynamics at this level. However, it is clear that just a small number of cells can influence the entire human biological system, even to the point of death, as we see all too often with diagnoses like cancer. At an even smaller scale, proteins can do the same in the form of prion diseases that have recently been linked to Alzheimer's.
One possibility, as outlandish as it may seem, is that the universe needs an observer to exist in some interpretations of quantum physics. In quantum theory, particles exist in multiple states at once until they are measured—or observed—by a consciousness with a means of doing so. This can be compared to the old hypothetical question, "If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound?" In this instance, the falling tree would represent the universe existing, the person hearing it fall would equate to humans observing the universe, and the answer would be a firm "No."
To continue this exercise of human hubris I denounced at the beginning of this article, another possibility is that, in addition to the role of the observer, we act as record keepers for information. As we record data with our technology through sensors and other scientific means, it could be interpreted that we are adding order to the universe by collecting information about it. Perhaps there are countless other "mankinds" doing the same across the universe, and we all add up to some kind of cosmic biological process similar to those performed by cells within our own inner universe.
Let's just hope a few bad ones don't ruin things for all the rest.
There is a way out of the “control system”. We all have an observer in our head that observes an internal dialogue or mind wandering, perseverating, etc. With awareness and practice you can learn to control and train your thoughts. You can stop thinking at will, you can shift perspectives, etc. Your higher self can change how you feel, and decide to amplify loving kindness to the universe, instead of dwelling on perceived injustices and insults. As above, so below. As inside the self, so outside.
One lives in paradox, so it may come down to bad ones and good ones. 'And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back at you". Maybe if we leave the blindfolds on when we fight the monsters.
Fundamental symmetry between the macrocosm and the microcosm I believe is experienced when we are very young in our first few years, as the world comes into focus. It appears to adjust to the scale of things itself, as well as things becoming visually sharper. Do you remember staring at a piece of furniture, as it becomes impossibly large like a cliff, or the opposite; a scale shift. Possibly accompanied by a strange feeling in the solar plexis?