Tag Archives: Phoenix

Phoenix Lights – Celebrating 20 Years

Probably the most notable person that keeps the event alive is Dr. Lynne Kitei, the force behind the documentary ‘Phoenix Lights.’ She is a regular at the Harkin’s Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona in mid-March every year. With the help of many actual witnesses, the Phoenix Lights documentary is rich with evidence that ‘we are not alone.’

Excerpt: On March 13, 1997 something extra-ordinary happened in the skies over Phoenix & across Arizona. On that clear evening a parade of low flying, mile wide V-shaped arrays of orbs & craft glided silently overhead, attracting the attention of at least 10,000 people. This is the detailed account of that evening & the ensuing cover up of what is now being hailed as the largest mass sighting of UFOs in modern times – but there is much more to the story.

Dr. Kitei and Steve Lantz have crafted a story for the history books, with real-life witnesses that number into the hundreds. It is estimated that thousands of witnesses exist, many of them remain silent for fear of ridicule. The brave and courageous witnesses that have come forth make for a compelling pile of evidence, even without the physical proof, that we are not alone.

What has happened since that eventful night, the apparent cover-up and the relentless efforts of then City Councilwoman Francis Emma Barwood to get to the truth? Governor Fife Symington scoffed at the event initially, showing off an alien-costumed cohort at a press conference. Years later his story was much different. It is funny how things can change when public opinion is not so important.

Fife recounts his experience, “It was enormous and inexplicable,” he said in an exclusive interview from his home in Phoenix. “Who knows where it came from? A lot of people saw it, and I saw it too.” Symington says he saw a large triangular “craft of unknown origin” with lights, moving slowly. “It was dramatic. And it couldn’t have been flares because it was too symmetrical,” he says. “It had a geometric outline, a constant shape.”

Perhaps it was the bank fraud conviction that nullified his actual testimony of the event and made it less important in the public eye. So many witnesses remain baffled, not by the sighting, by how little attention has been paid to such a phenomenal event. Dr. Lynne speaks and shares clips and photos at many UFO events around the world, but she seems to be overshadowed by the sensational stories of those who may likely be intentional distractions to the truth.

What we are left with are obvious signs that something literally out of this world was present that night. What were ‘they’ doing? Was it a test to see how the public reacted or responded to a visible craft, large enough to leave no mistake about it? There were paradoxical and polarized results, from evidence of scrambled jets to complete denial of anything happening. Humans in power are fickle, evidently.

I, as an available interested party and personal friend, was present for many of the interviews conducted at Village Labs by Jim Dilettoso and Michael Tanner in the days and weeks following the event. The stories were consistent in what witnesses saw; the shape of the craft, the immense size, the silence and the apparent ‘particles of light’ darting around inside the actual lights as they passed overhead. The accounts were too similar and witnesses had no contact with each other prior to their interviews.

Village Labs was also a hot-spot for UFOlogists at the time. Photo and video analysis was a forte’ of the duo, Dilettoso and Tanner. Jim had appeared on numerous TV shows regarding his analysis of popular ‘evidence’ provided by many from around the world, including many still on the ‘circuit’ today. Guys like Lt. Colonel (USAF Ret.) Wendelle Stevens and Jaime Maussan were regulars. Jim and Michael were instrumental in the sharing of information with Dr. Lynne as she developed her documentary files.

Something that Jim revealed to me was that there were actually two ships that visited the Valley of the Sun that night, one that traveled along I-17 and another that traveled south following Scottsdale Rd. That information isn’t shared in the documentary, but the single mass-sighting is certainly enough to keep our attention. So many witnesses, so little attention by the media and researchers still.

The question remains, “What was the purpose for ‘showing up’ in Phoenix?”

The Good Old Days

A View from the Bleachers

Not that it really matters, but I’ve been watching the field of Ufology develop since my introduction as Bruce to Jim Delittoso in the late 80s. Zen hadn’t happened yet; still a few years away. Until then, I’d been relatively free of public engagement, let alone discussion of my experiences. I felt a bit pensive and yet willing to take some chances.

I was pulled in to the ‘scene’ as my curiosity in Jim’s work and all the folks that showed up at Village Labs we piqued, to say the least. Until then, I was a rather naive and trusting sort from rural Indiana. Granted I had started early with regular visits to the orange cigar-shaped cloud, so the scene was not unfamiliar with it’s stories and tales. Michael Tanner and Jim became regular visits and delivering a beautiful and brilliant package to Jim sure helped. When I introduced Susan to Jim, Ufaux was soon launched with Jerry Wills on bass, Susan on drums and Jim on keyboards.

Somewhat surreptitiously and yet willingly I dove into the field, attended Tim Beckley’s Aliencoming-together and New Age Agenda expos in Phoenix while working with the New Age Alliance to put on one of the first large New Age events at the Biltmore Resort. Jerry Wills introduced us as well. I traveled to Sedona a few times, too, where I met Dr. Frank Stranges and Wes Bateman at a gathering and spent many hours in conversations with each.

At the time I was alone and fresh out of a divorce, heart-broken and searching for self. Al Bielek, unknown to me at the time, called and invited me out to lunch one day. It made for a skeptical optimist, determined to compare experiences with lofty tales of extraterrestrial encounters. Having some good ears to listen and reflect made a big difference to this seeker of the unusual and weird running alongside a very normal if not practical life of recovery from the loss of my family.

Those events and a television show gave me an opportunity afforded few, and the cursory wounds healed quickly. I was aware of the invisible hand and a few handlers, too. A few years later I road in one of Roy Haddix’s limos with Alicia Greig to Tucson and the first International UFO Congress, arranged by Jim.  I’d met Wendelle Stephens at the Lab and Bob Dean for the first time at the event with Ted Loman, Dave Thompson and Ken Lilgegren as part of the production crew. Miriam Delicado and Travis Walton were there as well.

Dave, Jim, Miriam, Travis and I had a short and sweet reunion at the last IUFOC on the patio just before the awards dinner. Relationships forged early in the coming of age of Ufology weather many storms; trials and tribulations that seem to be the norm among the cohorts and converts. The sad thing is that competition has replaced cooperation and collaboration as folks turned the environment into profit centers that bring out undesirable influencers, imho.

nester

Ann Fogg, Nester Night Owl

Since those early times I’ve had the honor of meeting some very respectable people in the field. I was even fortunate enough to be the logistical producer for the Prophets Conference in 1997. The Phoenix Lights had happened earlier, and the Labs were interview central. Background conversations were plentiful as I had a great crew and could easily move about the cabin once the event began. Ann Fogg and Pieter Oosthuizen were great problems solvers and problems were few.

The only challenge was when we weren’t fast enough bicycling the A/V equipment and David Icke had to wait. I got an earful for that I didn’t expect, left a bad taste. Dr. Edgar Mitchell and I had several intimate conversations that few have I’m sure. Jose and Lloydine Arguelles were delightful, having some quality time with them while officing out of Village Labs was amazing for sure. I’d been able to ask direct questions, share experiences and corroborate understanding I sorely needed. That year was phenomena-ful for me.

Things got more intense as the years went on yet I always seemed to be able to manage bridging personal and professional worlds, with a little flair at times. I had a lot of fun playing in the background and spent a considerable amount of time behind the curtain, so to speak. I watched as people changed and morphed, not physically per se, but ethically and morally and some things just didn’t make sense.

As it got more in vogue to share stories, I’ve seen more posers come out of the woodwork than I care to admit. I’ve always questioned my own experience. Heck, I’m even okay with others questioning it, too. Over the last decade I’ve observed some good people with similar experience get set aside while more conspiracy theories crop up to keep the cauldron of fear nice and warm. It seems the effort to evolve is rife with dissenters and doom spreaders.

I’m reminded of the crop circle from August of 2002 that delivered a very interesting message, et-disc-binarywarning of the deceit and deception to come. As some valiant humans seek to evolve toward a greater consciousness, assisted by some very interested off-planet parties, the squeaking wheels still get the grease. It seems the scene has turned a profit lately and we certainly wouldn’t want to screw that up.

There are some voices of reason that appear here and there, looking for deeper truths and making sense common. Their words resound in the hearts and minds of those who have similar designs with their inquiry – to understand the nature and truth of the interaction of non-human intelligence across the apparent dimensional doorways accessible only to those who remain faithful and fearless. That place within is available for anyone to choose. We’re still invited to go there.

Thanks for reading. Perhaps the longer version may interest you… Zendor the Contrarian – A Seminal View of Consciousness, Cosmology and the Congruence of Science and Spirituality.

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