LLIFS Resource Directory: John Keel
If you are not familiar with John Keel, you will probably have at least heard of one of his more famous books The Mothman Prophecies. Keel is a journalist and influential UFOlogist famous for his theories which while more widely accepted and explored today were perhaps ahead of their time.
I abandoned the extraterrestrial hypothesis in 1967 when my own field investigations disclosed an astonishing overlap between psychic phenomena and UFOs... The objects and apparitions do not necessarily originate on another planet and may not even exist as permanent constructions of matter. It is more likely that we see what we want to see and interpret such visions according to our contemporary beliefs
There is not much that can be said when describing Keel's book rather than going through a rabbit hole that will have you at times agreeing with intrigue or scoffing at ideas that challenge the standard definitions of ghosts, aliens and cryptids. One of his more controversial theories is that on what is dubbed the superspectrum.
What is the 'Superspectrum'?
Around the same time he released the Mothman Prophecies, Keel also released a book titled ‘The Eighth Tower : On Ultraterrestrials and the Superspectrum’. In it as well his book The Cosmic Question he talks about paranormal phenomena tying together as sort of a unified theory. Whether it is something like mothman, inter-dimensional beings or even a spirit, he believes that they are able to navigate up and down the electromagnetic spectrum and can appear or disappear at their own will. This is what he has dubbed ‘The Superspectrum’. The beings that are able to navigate this spectrum he has called ‘ultraterrestrials’.
At this moment you are surrounded by all kinds of energy, much of it manmade, vibrating on every frequency from the ultrahigh frequencies of modern military radios to the very low frequencies of generators and telephone lines. There are many other forms of energy mixed in as well. And there are, as we shall see, forms of energy on such high frequencies they can not be detected with even the most sophisticated scientific instruments. If your eyes were tuned beyond the very narrow confines of the spectrum of visible light, yon would find yourself looking into a thick fog of dazzling, unreal colors. Some psychics and UFO percipients have described these occult colors, and they have always been used to symbolize the supernatural entities. If you could peer into this superspectrum, you would undoubtedly see some frightening things - strange shapes and eerie ghostlike forms moving through a sea of electrical energy like fish in some alien sea.
John Keel
The Cosmic Question
Does the above offer an explanation as to how psychics can visualise what they interpret to be spirits or even aliens or these ultraterrestrials? Is this how some people see coloured aura's? Are they somehow getting a glimpse inside this superspectrum? It also means that perhaps the general interpretation of what a 'spirit' is not entirely correct. While of course, it is possible we are communicating with someone who has passed away, how do we know we are not communicating with an ultraterrestrial? Keel even states that he believes our brains are made up of a circuit and that it is plugged into the electromagentic field in some sort of way. He says a superpsychic could then potentially tap into that certain frequency of a person 1000 years from now and read their subconscious. Is this how some of the information comes through?
This superspectrum is the source of all paranormal manifestations from extrasensory perception (ESP) to flying saucers, little green men and tall, hairy monsters. It is hard to pin down scientifically because it is extradimensional, meaning that it exists outside our own space-time continuum yet influences every thing within our reality.
John Keel
The Eighth Tower
Keel backs up his theory with years of case studies, however, like anything, there is no proof that this is the case and quite a lot of people will already have raised eyebrows reading this. It is certainly something to at least consider when looking at the different sources for paranormal phenomena.
While the above books are not available in the public domain, you can pick up copies rather cheap especially if you look at World of Books which sells second-hand copies. If you don't have the budget for books this month (a feeling I know all too well), I have you covered. Here are some FREE books from Keel available via public domain which can even download as a PDF for your collection. As a part of the public domain, it is completely legal!
Our Haunted Planet
I do not pretend to know any answers. After a lifetime of travel and study I am still learning the questions. This is a journey into man's past and the curious manifestations which have always surrounded him and which have directed the human race upwards from the caves to the Moon itself. It is a journey into a jungle of myth, legend and belief, and hopefully, it is another small step towards the larger truth that man has always sought but never really found.
-- John A. Keel
Since the beginning of recorded time, mankind has been plagued by unknown forces and beings, baffled by archaeological phenomena, and haunted by the inexplicable accuracy - and inaccuracy - of prophecies and "visions." In the classic "Our Haunted Planet," John A. Keel brings into chilling focus strange truths about the earth and its mysterious inhabitants. Could an unseen, prehuman race have taken careful measures to remain hidden from surface dwellers? Are they still watching us from their secret hiding places, manipulating and misleading us, using us for their own entertainment, and controlling our actions? "Our Haunted Planet" is an entertaining survey of anomalous "Fortean" events such as UFOs, enigmatic stone monuments, Men in Black, missing ships and aircraft, phantom radio broadcasts, teleportation, missing time, black magick, tulpas, angels, demigods, tricksters, and much more. Unlike most ufologists, who settle on a literal interpretation of such phenomena, Keel is broad-minded and courageous enough to include all possibilities - including the impact of occultists and spies on the fields of ufology, conspiracy, and cryptozoology. Within these pages, modern "spooks" appear alongside the gods of the ancients, creating a mind-expanding pastiche that may either heal your soul, send you to the loony bin, or just keep you up all night as you ponder the meaning of its forbidden secrets.
To read this book, head to: https://archive.org/details/Our_Haunted_Planet
Disneyland of the gods
Are we being invaded from outer space, as many UFO hobbyists contend? Are secret government agencies tapping your phone and tampering with your mail? Does somebody else really own this earth and use it as a Disneyland of the Gods? Veteran Fortean author Keel reports with wit on the startling encounters with 'the tricksters' (so well-known to the American Indians), the Men in Black, assorted monsters, snallygasters, mothmen and weird hairy creatures that all seem to vanish into thin air. Chapters on UFO Crashes in Scandinavia, Mysterious Crime Waves, Clones, Hybrids and Sleepers, An Idaho Triangle?, Sea Monsters, The Moonstone Mystery, New Age of the Gods, and more.
To read this book, head to: https://archive.org/details/DisneylandoftheGods
If you would like to read some articles related to Keel's theories check out these ones by LLIFS:
Superspectrum and the paranormal
Is there a connection between different kinds of paranormal phenomena
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