Okay, so I’ve been gorging myself on A&E and History Channels shows about UFOs and aliens.  I’m a fan of pretty much any conspiracy theory involving the government covering up visits by aliens.  At the same time I realize that in modern society, the prevalence of video cameras, smart phones and assorted other technology makes it unlikely these events would pass undocumented.  I’m also a huge fan of The Mothman Prophecies book and the assertions suggested by John Keel that creatures such as these may not be extraterrestrial at all but rather originate from a different dimension on Earth (at least I think that’s what he posited – it’s been a while since I’ve read the book.  Several years ago I also read Janet Bord’s book Fairies which points out that the same types of experiences that used to be connected with fairies are now associated with alien abduction.  Her suggestion is that the space age has transformed fairies into aliens but that they are essentially the same beings.

This made me wonder so I decided to ask the Tarot.  Today I simply asked “What are extraterrestrials?”  I received quite an interesting answer.  The cards I drew from the Book of Shadows As Above Tarot are Mabon (Justice in a traditional deck) crossed by Elements (The Magician) reversed.  The traditional meanings of these cards might offer some insight in this reading but what jumped out at me is the visuals.  Mabon shows Demeter sitting in the sunlit world while Persephone reaches out towards her from the darkness of the Underworld – both connected at a deep level yet unable to breach that divide in this moment.  I think this symbolizes the relationship humans have with these otherworldly beings.  We are the ones inhabiting the sunlit, above world while they exist in a hidden, shadowy underworld.  They can reach out to us and sometimes we can hear them but other times the road between the worlds cannot be traversed.

The image on Elements was even more striking because it doesn’t matter if it’s reversed, that simply changes which elemental symbols are on the top of the card.  Regardless of orientation two elements are reversed at any given time.  This struck me as a truly powerful message.  It suggested to me that extraterrestrials are not from another world but part of our own.  Their energies are simply different from human energies.  Perhaps they are elementals or have learned to use the elements in a different way to alter their reality and how we perceive them.

In my core I am convinced that these cards are telling me that what we call extraterrestrials are simply otherworldly (to us) children of the Earth.  They exist on a different plane of existence and sometimes we cross over into their realm and they into ours.  These beings are not necessarily superhuman but they possess different skills and powers to our own and can seem frighteningly inhuman to us.  Their priorities are different and sometimes we can communicate and reach an alliance.  Perhaps we are so wrapped up in the perceived reality of our above ground, sunlit world that we fail to even notice them in the dark, hidden spaces.  When we pay attention or when they feel the need, contact can be made.

I don’t necessarily think this invalidates the idea that life exists on other worlds.  In fact I think it’s arrogant of humans to assume Earth has the only life in the Universe.  However I do believe that many encounters with fairies, aliens, extraterrestrials (call it what you will) are in fact the result of encounters with these Otherworldly, Underworldly beings.  Or maybe I simply read too many fantasy, sci if and alien encounter books.