45 Comments

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

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Indeed.

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That scene in the seminar room! You couldn’t make it up. Great writing, Will. As ever. Thank you.

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Thanks, Candi! Yes, that afternoon in the seminar room is seared permanently in my memory because the story was so unexpected and intense—and then the class sort of moved on as if nothing had happened...

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Mystery and poetry—you nailed it. Who knows what it all means? Who knows but that is the whole point of life? I love this so much. Just over here waiting for the feathers to grow in. 😉

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Thanks Freya! I think you have a few feathers poking out already 😆

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Born and raised in Arkansas and in the country, I used to go running in the wee hours of the morning. I was getting ready for high school sports and a number of times I would hear things going over my head. Most of my running was by memory because there were few security lights. I never could see anything, but it was like a drone flying overhead. This was in the sixties, so drones weren't around but I never could figure it out.

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Eerie. Thanks for sharing, Paul. Many people have stories like this and there's been such a taboo around the subject. Glad we can finally discuss this openly, even if there are no definitive answers yet.

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Dr. James Benford is the twin brother of the celebrated science fiction writer Gregory Benford, himself an academic in the same field.

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That's right! They're both very impressive. When selecting a photo of Dr. J. Benford, I tried to be careful not to accidently use a photo of his twin!

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Jul 23Liked by Will Dowd

My dearly departed, deeply Catholic, hard-working grandmother, mother of seven children, once saw a UFO on the family farm late at night. She had awakened for some reason and was looking out the window, and saw a shiny circular craft with lights around it hovering over the tree line adjacent to the house, about 75 yards away. She said it moved back and forth a couple times, so quickly it seemed like it disappeared from one place and reappeared in another, and then it was gone. I believe it was the 60s. As a child I was so in awe of this, because she was such a pure-hearted woman, someone who would never lie or make things up -- she wasn't even comfortable with attention focused on her. My cousins and I would then sit and talk all about UFOs and how we knew they were real because Grandma saw one.

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Amazing story, Lindsey. Sounds not unlike the UFO John Lennon saw around the same time, but your grandmother is a much more reputable source! Just from your description, I can tell she was being completely honest about what she saw. What do we make of it? Who knows...

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Jul 24Liked by Will Dowd

I'm convinced of their existence, but unsure of their origin. I LOVE the way the 'it's us, from the future' theory stimulates and excites my mind. I'm so glad I found your Substack -- your stories are incredibly engaging. Looking forward to the Sturgeon Moon already :)

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I'm so glad you found The Lunar Dispatch, too! Have a great lunar month.

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Jul 23·edited Jul 24Liked by Will Dowd

Very interesting story about your professor's experience. There is another point of view about aliens, written by Gary Bates. He called his book Alien Intrusion and made it into a film with 'Superman's dad', John Schneider. Well worth watching/reading!

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Thanks for the tip, Corinne. I'll check it out!

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Jul 23Liked by Will Dowd

Thanks for stretching my brain yet again this month

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Thanks for having such a stretchable brain! I never know quite where my essays are heading and I only hope I'm lucky enough to have readers willing to go on the journey. Readers like you are worth your weight in gold.

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I’ve been sad about the Fermi Paradox ever since I found out about it as a teenager. Even more so after I lost my religion as an adult. I’d like to think we’re not alone, that someone is watching over us. Nice to think it might be the moon.

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I sympathize, Sarah. The Fermi Paradox is cosmically depressing. But I like what you say about the moon watching over us. A comforting thought!

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Jul 23Liked by Will Dowd

Last Full MOON was the annual Indian spiritual event, Gurupurnima, the celebration of the guru as divine guide. Considered an auspicious and possibility filled blessing by devotees.

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Very cool! Thank you for sharing that with me—I wasn't aware. The moon seems ubiquitous in spiritual traditions, and I can understand why.

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I tend to believe nothing and everything at the same time.

Some of the things I know to be true scare me more than anything

extraterrestrial or "futuristic" ever could. I love being among the tiniest specs in the universe.

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How tantalizing, Joy. I want to know what scares you even more—or maybe I don't! Thanks for reading, from one tiny spec in the universe to another.

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I avoid political discussions online. But I will say what scares me even more than the unknown is the known political situation right now.

Thanks for your comment though

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Oh, I see. Wasn’t sure what you had been referring to. Thanks again for reading and have a great month.

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Right on! I'm a skeptic, but I once saw a UFO. Me and the friend I was with both looked through my spotting scope at it, then separately wrote down / drew what we saw. We'd both seen the same thing, a sort of U-shaped thing with two upright wings, metallic, glinting in the sun. It stayed absolutely still, then vanished.

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You and your friend were so smart to write/draw what you saw separately before comparing notes. It's amazing how many people who see UFOs describe the same thing: the noiseless hovering, then the impossibly fast departure. I don't know what to think, but I know people are telling the truth about what they saw. I try to be skeptical too—I think that's only prudent—but I absolutely believe you, Rosie!

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I was glad I had my scope, and I was glad I was in company. I went around the neighbourhood for a while asking if anyone else had seen it- it was right over the beach at sunset, when people like to walk- but nobody else had.

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I've heard a lot of UFO sightings occur on beaches. Intriguing...

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Nice space ship^^

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Another terrific essay, and on one of my favorite topics. Thanks so much for your wonderful writing and for spreading the word about this intriguing looking paper.

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Thanks so much, Robert! It's nice that this topic is being more widely discussed with imagination and curiosity leading the way. Appreciate you reading the newsletter. See you next month!

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Eerie, thought provoking and beautifully written as ever Will! 👽

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Thanks, Victoria!!

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Great story telling and good theme.

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Thanks, David! Appreciate you coming along for the ride.

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