Tag Archives: Steven Bassett

Contact in the Desert 2015

Contact-Desert-2015Contact in the Desert – 2105

Contact in the Desert is growing into a premier Ufology event drawing thousands from around the world. When I first arrived on site in 2013 and ran ​into Paul Andrews, I was surprised. Then I decided to rekindle an association that started back in 1998. Paul had invited me to come work for him in LA, just off Venice Beach.

I had spectacular results in running The Prophets Conference in Phoenix the previous October. Jim-ZencompThe only bummer was Cody and Robyn Johnson split town without paying me or Jim Dilettoso (right), who had recommended me to them. We did get something later, but then I had to pay the local waste management and generator folks. It was a sad situation and no one suspected the Axiom Group of such behaviors.

Paul and I didn’t work out at the time back then, but it was good to see he had teamed up with Victoria to produce Contact in the Desert. It was a spectacular showing although at the worst time of year for most folks, especially the elderly. It took two years to move it to May and even this last weekend was a bit too much for many. I ran into a elderly woman using a walker who was obviously determined to be there, but had a heck of time in the heat. Perhaps moving it to a different meteor shower period – Lyrids Meteor Shower – might do, April 22-23 with a full moon on April 22.

Speaking of Victoria, Paul’s event partner, she even got into the act of sharing her experiences and understanding on one of the panels in the amphitheater. It was really great to see one of the event coordinators reveal their story. I’m sure the DVD is available through the Contact in the Desert website. All the presentations will be available soon. Ask around and get your favorites. I think you can get the whole package for around $100.

Zen&JohnAnthonyWest-compI love getting into the thick of things, consistent with my given name, Bruce (means ‘dweller of the thicket), and volunteered as an A/V runner delivering the master copies of DVDs to the duplication station just outside the Sanctuary, the main speaker location. I ran into many folks I’ve known for years and met some new folks as well, like John Anthony West.

Of course there were some challenges with the event. When you have a first-some, first-served entrance into the main events it can be a challenge to get in and/or have a decent seat. There were viewing areas outdoors as well that were packed, too. With folks like Erich Von Daniken, Giorgio Tsoukalos, Jimmy Church and George Noory present there is always a crowd around them. Even at 80 (Erich had a birthday over the weekend) he still stands and delivers with a rapid-fire onset of details and facts from years of experience.

Speaking of experience, Grant Cameron and I had a wonderful, albeit short, chat on Sunday andZen&Grant-comp he requested a copy of Zendor the Contrarian, so I’m waiting with baited breath for the review.  Grant is one of the most observant and reflective of the cadre of Ufologists. He’s a bit like Richard Dolan, who thought I must be tagged upon our initial meeting in Phoenix some years ago. The difference is Grant spends much less time on conspiracy as he looks for the threads of commonality in experiencers and evidence of a larger perspective of Communion amongst humanity and our visitors, entering a new state of consciousness.

The Experiencer Gatherings, hosted by Alan Steinfeld and Barbara Jean Lindsey on Friday and Barbara on Sunday were especially dear to my heart. Many folks come to find corroboration and validation in their experiences, even solace in the fact that they are not alone and their concerns are heard. Each has their own interpretation and understanding depending on their level of consciousness and observation capacity. What seemed to be stressed the most through the sharings was to not be afraid and embrace the energy instead of trying to fight it.

Danny&Zen-compNow that doesn’t mean complete surrender to that which you might feel dangerous. It was mentioned that although one may not be prepared, the process of evolution – coming to terms with the cosmic consciousness condensed into form – is tantamount to rising above the fear, guilt and shame game that inhibits the sense of Oneness that more advanced experiencers acknowledge. The sense of open-heartedness in the meetings was obvious in how folks treated one another, too.

The attendance for the event has grown by leaps and bounds, with parking strewn across the 17-acre grounds. I’m not sure of the exact attendance, but it seemed around a couple thousand. We had around five thousand come through at the Prophets Conference in 1997. Event attendance in general is down from years past, but it’s beginning to climb again. The contrast of being in the open-air instead of hotel or resort environments is refreshing, kinda of a Burning Man rendition of Ufology.

Walking around the grounds at night revealed many small groupings of folks enjoy each others DannySheehan-FREE-compcompany, perhaps for the first time. An observer could easily recognize the exuberance and childlike spontaneity of experiencers all across the event grounds. There were some real serious types that often find it difficult to be happy, but the majority of folks by far enjoyed the weekend of Contact in the Desert.

In view but not a big topic of discussion was the presence of FREE via posters Rey Hernandez left with me from the International UFO Congress in February. I’m already looking forward to next year. Thanks to Paul and Victoria and all the staff and volunteers who made this event a memorable one for thousands. In only its third year it is promising to be one of the largest gatherings in the world now. If you considered going this year, but didn’t, I’d make sure to get your ticket early next year.

Volunteers-FREEWe also invite you to find and visit the Rose Cottage in the evenings for some conversation and comaraderie. You’ll meet some of the most interesting folks in a much more intimate environment. Our small group of diverse and unique travelers will welcome you with style and grace. Look forward to seeing you there!

This year’s gathering included Ron James and Steven Bassett. Ron and I had met several years ago when he owned Dream Theater in the Village of Oak Creek, just outside Sedona. An old friend, Swami Beyondananda, was doing a show there. Ron runs a magnificent network called iVolveTV that features material you just have to explore. He also produced the Citizens Hearing DVDs.

Btw, we’re looking for more authors for UfologyPRSS. If you’d like to contribute, please sent us an email with your contact information and reason for wanting to be a contributor, plus a writing sample or link to something of yours online.

2014 IUFOC Recap

iufocThe 33rd International UFO Congress was February 12 – 16. It’s the largest conference of its kind in the world. The International UFO Congress is an organization in Arizona dedicated to the dissemination of information related to many areas in Ufology. It was established in 1991 and hosts an annual conference. While previously held in Laughlin, Nevada, the conference moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area in 2011.

The IUFOC features presentations given by authors, researchers, experts, enthusiasts, and those who have witnessed paranormal or anomalous phenomena from all over the world. It also provides a forum to discuss the experiences and findings. This week long event usually has over thirty speakers, a film festival, vendors, and experiencer sessions. Topics generally covered are alien abduction, UFO sightings, UFO crashes, crop circles, paranormal experiences, government conspiracy and much more.

This is probably the premier UFO-focused event in the world. John Rao and crew really do it up right. We’ve reported on the Open Minds team earlier. The quality of the venue, the quality of the mini-events within the IUFOC, like the EBE Awards, the Mixer and Dinner and the Sky Watch are all top notch. If you ever get the opportunity to attend, it will be one of the best experiences you’ll have of meeting folks that come from all over the world who are interested in or have experiences with UFOs.

We did manage to have conversations with many of the speakers and vendors during the event. We even got a few on video endorsing UfologyPRSS, including Ben Hansen, Dr. Lynne Kitei and Kim Carlsberg. We are truly appreciative of their support. Click on the video below for all the endorsements. We know it will help us continue to grow. We also want to express our appreciation for the folks at Open Minds and their exquisite production of the International UFO Congress.

The nature of the UFO phenomena covers a plethora of possibilities. There is as much consideration for conspiracy as there is for objectivism, regardless of Ayn’s introduction. Does our government really have involvement with other worlds? Some say yes and some say no, but we really do not know for sure. What would it matter, anyway?  Is there something that our government could offer the public as some kind of gesture in disclosure? Perhaps the revelation of the off-planet visitors is simply that we need to learn to get along. That alone is more challenging now than any engagements with extraterrestrials.

There were some new folks speaking at the IUFOC this year including Kawaunee Lapseritis, speaking about psychic Sasquatches; Mike Clelland, speaking on Owls and synchronicity regarding contact experiences; and David Marlen, who spoke on the triangular-shaped craft that frequents our skies. Some of the old favorites were there as well, including Steven Bassett, Patty Greer, Rob Simone and Dr. John Alexander. The former hopes for government disclosure, the latter doesn’t think the government knows much at all.

One of the highlights of the festivities was Ben Hansen’s hosting of the Sky Watch on Friday evening. Ben has been a popular figure since the Fact or Faked television show and is now representing Night Vision Ops, an inexpensive line of night vision equipment. It was reported by some that later that night there was a mysterious UFO that hovered over the location for some time. You might search the web for them.

DonWare

If you’ve been to any of the IUFOC events over the years, you will have noticed Don Ware, who consistently brings interesting bits of information to share. Don has been a regular for as long as we can remember. He combines his understanding of Ufology with tidbits from the Urantia Book. Speaking of, this was the first year the Urantia Foundation was part of the festivities and their books were flying out the door. Maybe there is a new source of information that Ufologists haven’t explored yet.

Although the gathering draws attention from all over the world, there hasn’t been much ‘new’ news in decades regarding the phenomena. There does seem to be a bit more of an inquiry into the possibility of extraterrestrials living among us, though. There was a lively discussion between several fellows one evening, patrons and another ‘regular,’ that included a few retirees – detective, human resource manager and an engineer. We overheard them discussing the possibilities of ETs living among us and what that might be like, especially if the ET didn’t know they were and grew up as an orphaned human with a penchant for discovering his or her lineage. We’ll see what develops.