Alternate Perceptions Magazine, June 2021
Initiation of the Grey
by: Daniel Erickson
This is a fascinating connecting of the dots between the abductee phenomena and the shamanic initiation that includes a kind of death or NDE, a ritual cleansing of the body and the building of a new body culminating with a return of the shaman initiate to the material world. (More material needs to be researched on this area: description of the initiation, cleansing of the organs, comparison to abductee cases.) For me, the connection was made when I saw a saucer shaped petroglyph and was told the saucer was not a UFO but the representation of the vehicle that moves between the physical dimension and the spirit world.
Before getting too deep into the discussion, I will say that this is a very advanced subject. Not because it is difficult to understand but because it requires more than a surface understanding of some key concepts and words, such as openness, out of body experience (OBE), shamanic initiation and so on. I will not claim to have a full understanding of these subjects but that does not mean we can't have a discussion.
It seems plausible that humans have observed phenomena since the beginning of time. These interactions may center around certain individuals who have experiences in sacred places.
My discussion with Susan centered around her life-long abductee encounters with a grey. Her interactions with the grey were against her will and involved sleep paralysis, being moved to an examination facility and the typical host of medical examinations. I listened intently until she said that the relationship changed. She confronted the grey when she was in her 40's and was able to get them to see her as sentient rather than an animal for experimentation.
It was this transition in her state of being that the greys were seeking with her all along. According to the grey these procedures were escalated to the point where they removed her internal organs and cut off her foot and showed it to her. She was then reassembled with no scars or ill effects. For Susan, this was the point where she had enough and was able to break the paralysis. She let loose her anger and frustration with a life of suffering the effects of being abducted, paralyzed and tortured. After listening the grey countered with, “this was necessary because she would not wake up.” They had tried being pleasant but she would forget. This is the way she would finally realize that she was not her body. After this incident Susan had a different relationship with the greys. She could assert her will in their presence. She was no longer a passive victim but had realized her personal sovereignty.
My discussion with Susan then focused on the nature of her experiences. I asked her to consider the possibility that her experiences with the greys were not in the physical but rather a state of OBE. Surprisingly, she seemed open to the idea and asked me to explain why I would suggest an OBE as an alternative to her vivid memories of being physically abducted.
There are a few points to be made before going much deeper into the subject of OBE or phenomena in general. Whether you believe an OBE is a real phenomena or not does not really matter to have this discussion. The reason is if you have experienced an OBE then you know it is real. If you have not experienced an OBE then no retelling of the experience is possible to make you understand that it is real. Simply put, you have to have the experience. The same is true for seeing a UAP or having a mystical experience. Another point is your level of openness (citation for openness) to having an experience. If your reaction to seeing something out of the ordinary is fear or denial then you are not ready. Consider that the shaman goes through preparation and training. Your reaction to an experience with phenomena could possibly result in some form of trauma if you are not open, prepared and have a support system in place to help you process the experience.
Back to our discussion with Susan and her possible OBE. I explained that my reason for suggesting an OBE was not to invalidate her experiences but rather to offer an alternative understanding of the experience. In both my suggestion of the OBE and her explanation, her experiences are real because they have affected her physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
The OBE takes place in the transition between waking consciousness and the beginning of the sleep cycle known as the hypnagogic state. The body initiates a paralysis of the muscles to prevent movement during sleep. A sound may return the person from entering the sleep cycle but the paralysis can remain resulting in the person being aware but experiencing sleep paralysis. People who experience OBE may enter this state voluntarily or involuntarily and depending on their level of preparation and openness can have a variety of experiences.
People often experience a buzzing sound followed by a feeling of vibration just prior to entering an OBE. They experience a floating or falling sensation and then they may see the room they are in or even their own body laying in bed. Their experience can seem real to the point where the OBE is indistinguishable from waking reality. There are even accounts of people traveling to far away places in OBE and physically interacting with real people. I mention this because it is possible to have an OBE, not realize you are in this state, and have a real experience.
An OBE is unlike a dream because the state of awareness is active participation rather than passive like watching a TV show. This was the waking up that the grey wanted Susan to experience. The grey wanted Susan to realize that she could not be hurt in this state of consciousness. That what she thought was torture was only real because she made it real.
I'll summarize my points for writing the article. My first point is that whatever the source of the experience, it is real to the person having the experience. The other point is Susan experiencing the grey who did the abduction. For Susan she reached a point where she was able to assert her conscious will in the presence of the grey. She was able to overcome the paralysis, push her waking consciousness into the reality where the grey existed and declare her “self” as a sentient being worthy of respect. It is not important whether the grey is a physical entity or not.
I emphasized to Susan how strong she was to have reached this level of self-awareness. I recognized that this is the goal of meditation; to become self-aware in all states of consciousness. That to become aware in waking reality means to act consciously not blindly react based on what you have been conditioned to think. (But this gets into another deep subject worthy of its own article.)
This knowledge may help you react appropriately as the release of video and information concerning UAP in July 2021 by the Pentagon becomes mainstream. Consider how you will react when someone you know shares their experience with something unexplained. Pause and think about how their experience validates or invalidates your view of the world. Consider the possibility that how you react is more about your ability to be open than what they are saying. Perhaps all that is really necessary is to listen for awhile. Perhaps it is okay that some mystery still exists.
About the Author: Daniel Erickson, a researcher and consultant, earned his undergraduate degree in Art History at the University of Minnesota, is a graduate of the Combined Arms and Services Staff School US ARMY, Fort Leavenworth. He earned his Master’s of Science Computer Information Systems (MSCIS) at the University of Phoenix. Mr. Erickson is a retired Major of the US Army and is a retired Information Technology Engineer. He currently conducts private research in phenomenology. One of his current research projects involves channeled sessions from the Monroe Institute Explorer program, circa 1984 through 1992, where he is a member of the Professional Development team for the Monroe Institute. He is also involved in ongoing research into orb activity near Cloverdale, Alabama, which is how editor Brent Raynes became acquainted with him. “For the last two years my focus has been on documenting phenomena and writing about those experiences,” Erickson explained. “I am trained in meditation, OBE [out-of-body experience], and remote viewing.”
