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Category: Visionary Experience

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Does The Twilight Zone mirror reality?

Reality mirrors The Twilight Zone, The Twilight Zone mirrors Reality: Recent articles mention the legendary series from the Sixties and its creator Rod Serling. Under the impression of global lockdowns, everyday life resembles some of the episodes of the twilight zone.

This is because The Twilight Zone is often about slightly altered reality. For example, an astronaut returns to Planet Earth. As he enters his ordinary life he finds things are not normal. There is a white fence where no such thing was before among other disturbing alterations.

However, the Twilight Zone is not about man-made changes or natural disasters. It centers often around an alternative dimension. Even it does not explore scientific insights if or not higher and alternative dimensions are possible, it takes the premise very serious. It is a premise which allows the writer to build stories. Some of these stories are mind-boggling. Some are tragic. Often there is a moral in the end.

It is interesting that it is not so much about true stories and real cases. It is also not about folklore stories. As far as we know Rod Serling was concerned with good storytelling and not so much about what we should belief or should not belief. In this sense, The Twilight Zone is rooted in the realm of science-fiction and not so much into the supernatural thriller area.

The first episode of The Twilight Zone aired 1958. This was the post-WWII period and the time of the Cold War paranoia. Traumata from WWII were pretty much alive. Stephen King described the 50ties paranoia in his book Danse Macabre. There was the shock of the Sputnik. There were fears about the communists. There was the beginning era of the A-Bomb and the threat of a Nuclear War. All in all, it was a climate of uncertainty beneath a clean and happy world on the surface. Thus the original Twilight Zone is related to disruption, contradictory feelings and kind of dissociation. Perhaps its the feeling of dissociation people experience in our days again.

In a The Forest Dark and The Forest Dark Feature Film project the alternate dimensions are the really existing other worlds. It is about the real unknown. Many films and show today rely upon the premise of an existing other-world alongside our own.

Is the premise of today’s multiverse or the other world a different concept as The Twilight Zone?

Not necessarily. There is no proof but it seems that more sci-fi related premises and ideas grounded in the supernatural coming closer together. The mystery genre today does encompass both. However, even more important, some ideas about the other world which belonged to superstition in former days are now appearing in scientific research. If we look into research about quantum physics or the science of black holes this kind of Twilight Zone is more real as in the days of Rod Serling.

There is always a big question if the stories we hear from the witnesses of visionary experiences, sightings or mysterious disappearances are inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone, which has become a milestone of modern culture (even people who have never seen The Twilight Zone are familiar with modern descendants as The X-Files). Did culture form the experience as it did in more religious times when Ufos were interpreted as Holy Mary appearances? Or is it the other way around? Even if Rod Serling and his writers weren’t concerned so much about the existing folklore, Roswell and visionary experiences of Shamans they were somehow rooted in a tradition of storytelling. We don’t know.

The web brings much more stories of strange encounters, cases of high strangeness, Fortean phenomena into the light of the public. We gather more and more data, hear more and more stories, there is a much wider discussion going on the public. We learn more and more about that real existing Twilight Zone along with our own. The Twilight Zone stories which are written by a writer or storyteller and the real world coming closer together in a couple of ways.




In a sense Rod Serling might have seen things in the same way or even envisioned his Twilight Zone in s broader sense as the stories of the TV Show suggest. There is this unforgettable introduction at the beginning of the first season episodes:

“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone“.— Rod Serling

Rod Serling was a true visionary. He was somebody who understands that reality is not what it seems. The Twilight Zone is the deeper reality we live in. It is what doesn’t want to be revealed. It’s what’s behind the curtain but which could enter any time our limited everyday world. We live in The Twilight Zone but only be aware of it in certain moments and certain times.

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The Phenomenon Is Active

An expression we read sometimes in connection with a series of paranormal events or series of UFO-sightings as the Berkshire Sighting is that “the phenomenon is active”. Jacques Vallée used that expression. It is a very interesting and perhaps very accurate description of what is going on during episodes of UFO-events and other supernatural events like Berkshire Sighting.

There is a distinct concept about “zones” of the paranormal as the Bennington-Triangle, clusters where people go missing, dark forests with regular supernatural sightings, areas with light orbs like Hessdalen in Norway. The zones are–– often connected with the idea of portals or places where alternate dimensions overlap as Mount Shasta in California. It is a world that exists right here and which inspired The Forest Dark Feature Film Project.

The temporal perspective

A temporal concept is less familiar as the concept of places that are somehow disenfranchised from ordinary reality. However, we know about “waves” of sightings. It is however difficult to validate these “special times” when strange cases happen more often. If something happens it might trigger also false claims and the following reports might be inspired by the original sighting.

It is more interesting to look after events that happened during short time spans like a couple of days. This is what happened during the Berkshire Sightings. The beginning of the movie Close Encounters gives us a good impression of that type of episode. Sometimes many things happen in one night. And it’s really weird things – electronic fails, people see bigfoots and signs in the sky. There is all kind of supernatural phenomena.

The phenomenon is active – what does that mean?

The interesting thing is that if we use this expression it doesn’t mean a distinct thing like “visitors are now active”. It sounds a bit more like a mechanism or machinery. If we look at reports of a series of paranormal activity we might think somebody turned on a projector that generates holographic images among other phenomena. We know from the stories for example from the Bridgewater triangle there is often a mix of reported phenomena including orbs, creatures, Ufos, or poltergeists.

Researchers may hope that they could identify some sort of regularity but that is not how the phenomenon works. Places might not change, but most of the temporal events are not repeating itself in a kind of rhythm. However, there seem to be certain years when there is a heightened activity in these “hotbeds of paranormal activity” like the Bridgewater triangle. The first “Ufo-Encounter” happened there in 1760 followed by sightings in 1908, then in 1968 and the 1970s. There is no indication here that there is any kind of rhythm. It is more like time has a special-quality at certain moments.

The temporal perspective in the description of events might not offer explanations but it is a way to get a better understanding of the nature of the phenomenon. We see that there are two brackets here: Supernatural events happen within a certain area and within a certain time frame. The interesting thing is that inside this “bubble” of a changed-reality we have these reports which sound more like a wild mix of imagination: Bigfoot, orbs, winged creature, unnamed black helicopters but also strange visitors in a restaurant as in the Happy Camp events described by Jacques Vallée in his book Confrontations.

In some sense, this makes the stories more credible. It tells us that people experienced something which is beyond their understanding. We can only understand what we see. Perhaps we try to find something we know already, i.e. demons, aliens, or fairies to give it a name. It makes it easier to cope with these types of experiences. Often, the “more reasonable stories” are much more susceptible.

The cultural influence

There is a cultural influence on how we interpret these types of supernatural events. The celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg is a historical precursor of Ufo-sighting-series like in Berkshire. A broadsheet article from 1561 with the illustration and text by Hans Glaser shows balls and geometrical objects invading the skies. Modern enthusiasts interpreted this as an “ aerial battle of Ufos”. Witnesses observed hundreds of spheres, odd-shaped objects, and a black triangular object. As in the Fatima event, people saw the sun falling down. Of course, the event was interpreted as a sign sent from God. The Nuremberg event was followed by another celestial phenomenon over Basel 1566 and a series of events between 27-28 July and 7 August 1566. Again there was a battle in the sky mentioned. Knights were seen fighting in the sky. Historians emphasized that these were unruly times. It wasn’t so long before the apocalyptic Thirty Years War. There was also the plague. The medieval social system did fell apart. Climate change, the so-called Little Ice Age, made people suffer. It was a time of the collapse. In some ways, the phenomenon represented what people must have felt during these unruly times. This is not so to say that the events weren’t real but experiences are shaped by cultural context.

It is sometimes mentioned that these supernatural events work like a sort of control-system guiding mankind from its beginning. It is true that unexplained phenomena can change our belief-system. Whitley Strieber once concluded, “that the human species is being shepherded to a higher level of understanding and existence within an endless multiverse”. These conclusions make sense however it’s not much different as the late-medieval interpretation where the wonders in the sky were acts of God. We assume that the intelligence behind these phenomena (if there is an intelligence) is not so much different as we are. We don’t know that. What we know there is a reality out there, indeed the weirdest stories are real in some sense. There is an “active phenomenon”, however, we can’t see the phenomenon itself as what it is. We have to follow its traces. The phenomenon is there but it is not active at any time.  As forces of nature, it is unpredictable. If we visit zones imbued with the supernatural, the energy of the phenomenon we can’t expect what will happen.  The phenomenon disguises itself behind many masks.

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Pulled Into Another Dimension

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People who coincidentally shift to another dimension or person telling weird stories from experiencing the future or the past. And people who mysteriously vanished. Is it true or is does our mind play sometimes tricks? Nobody can seriously answer that question. Believers can come up with a sheer endless number of reports, incidents, and numberless witnesses. This seems a phenomenon that appeared at all times. Modern stories resemble myths and Old Testament stories. This doesn’t answer the question of what is really behind this phenomenon. However, we can grasp the pattern of these experiences and get a better idea about what it is.

Fantasy fiction describes the phenomenon in an archetypical way

Sometimes it is good to look into the tradition of film and literature. There is one book which is like a blueprint for this phenomenon. This is “The Wizard Of Oz”. Originally children book it also became a musical and a movie. The Wizard of Oz was a tremendous success. The book is a classic everybody knows. The 1939 film was one of the most successful movies ever made. There is a memorable scene in the beginning. A twister occurs and Dorothy is shifted into another reality. When this happens Dorothy sees very strange things, for example, the witch. This set-up is very typical for many fantasy stories since there an alternate reality in most of these stories (Alice in Wonderland etc). However here we have some key elements which are typical also for similar “real experiences”. In the first place, we have severe or strange weather which works as a sort of precursor. Secondly, our normal sense of what’s real or the laws of nature doesn’t have a place here. The heroine is shifted into a more dreamlike form of reality. Dorothy herself is in a sleepy state.

The Wizard Of Oz had a tremendous influence. We find many references in David Lynch’s movies and series. Wild At Heart might be the most prominent example. However also in the new Twin Peaks series, The Return, there are a couple of strong references. We see people vanishing or dragged into another dimension. There is a mysterious vortex which Gordon Cole sees and which later occurs again.

However, the most interesting question about The Wizard Of Oz’ memorable scene is why does it work so perfectly? It is a really weird moment, the girl in the house flying in the middle of a twister and ending up in a different dimension. Perhaps this is because this motive is already well established. A lot of people must be somehow familiar with the idea that you could be dragged into another dimension. Not exactly on a conscious level but on a deeper level, like some inherited memory. It sounds weird, but there must be some sort of preexisting fundamental experience that is alive as long as we are a child and which we forget later. Otherwise, you wouldn’t “buy the story.” It might have been an even more common experience in ancient times. Modern people often have lost that connection to what you call the invisible world. However, this kind of otherworld intrusion then happens in the weirdest fashion.

There is, of course, no true story behind the beginning of The Wizard Of Oz. However, there is a long tradition. We know about abduction stories in medieval times. In these times it was the elves stealing babies or performing abductions. There are also many out of body experiences in ancient scripture. They are often similar to modern-day alien abduction stories.

No real explanation

Many scientists tried to explain weird witness accounts of strange events. Since some people claimed they had been paralyzed during an abduction experience sleep paralysis became a common explanation. When you sleep your muscles are in some sort locked-in mode. Sometimes you wake up to earlier and there is some weird process in the brain. Things coming from dreams are mixed up with reality. However, this is not a sufficient explanation for many many cases. Sometimes the phenomenon is not only experienced by one person. Sometimes a person literally goes missing. Some people are never found. Others are found under weird circumstances in another place. There is no explanation of how they got there. Often they can’t remember what happened. Of course, there will be always some reports which were made up. But there is a sheer mass of extremely convincing stories. There are stunning detailed accounts of shifts into another dimension. One of the most impressive aspects is the credibility of the witnesses. They are mostly honest people overwhelmed by what has happened to them. In many cases, this is a life-changing experience. People who got lost or had an experience like an out of body experience, an abduction experience or found themselves in another dimension are never the same. There had been a very convincing documentary about this from Argentina: “Witness Of Another World”. The movie visits a now aged witness of a close encounter when he was 12 years old. This event had a compelling influence on his whole life. It took him a very long time to cope with what hat happened to him. Even if we don’t have the answer to what is really going on we should treat them with the greatest respect. We do know some things for certain: 1) This phenomenon goes a long way back – the beginning of the fictional Story The Wizard Of Oz is like a model, an archetype for this phenomenon. 2) It happens a lot. 3) There is a pattern or typical elements involved.

Repeating patterns

It is very interesting that these strange things happen in regions where orbs of light occur. In many cases, there is a series of UFO-sightings before other strange events occur.

Weather and uncommon weather patterns seem to play an important role. It is important that these are often weather phenomena which are not possible in the normal sense of how weather works. Sudden rain on a clear day. A thunderstorm out of nowhere. A mist suddenly occurring. Strange weather phenomena and light orbs seem to be precursors of a beginning opening of a portal between dimensions.

Witnesses who experience an episode where they are in another dimension report often similar things. As in a dream they weren’t exactly frightened. The reality they experienced was somehow different but it was not the other world like another planet.

There is often a loss of time. The witness can’t explain what exactly happened during that time

It is often a life-shattering event. People are not the same after such an experience.

Fiction and Facts are coming closer together

It is still surprising to see how stories that were created as fiction seem to become something that also exists in reality. This applies to many Sci-Fi stories. The idea of portals and alternate dimensions is getting more and more present in science. There is now tremendous and excellent research done about missing cases by experts as David Paulides which is also a big hope for people experiencing strange and unexplainable events in their life. They deserve more attention and understanding. There is really something going on out there. It’s really big and it is still beyond our comprehension. But slowly the picture forms. We might stand in the doorstep of a new world view.

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The Otherworld, The Upside Down And The Beyond

In today’s TV-series, the otherworld is presented in ways not seen before. In David Lynch’s latest Twin Peaks series a much deeper exploration of the otherworld realm happens as in the original series. The black lodge, the white lodge and some sinister otherworldly dimension appear in a much more organic way. It infiltrates the everyday world and is anything but a fantasy realm. Another excellent demonstration of a dark otherworld accompanying us is the Upside Down in Stranger Things. The otherworld had been always a crucial part of my forest dark story too. They all relate to an overwhelming tradition lasting since the origins of all mankind.

What is the Upside Down?

In Stranger Things, the Upside Down is presented as kind of a mirror world reflecting our own. It is like a distorted version of our reality: “The Vale of Shadows is a dimension that is a dark reflection or echo of our world (Stranger Things, Episode 5)”. The blue-coloured frightening dimension is a brilliant visualisation of the idea of a dark otherworld. It became also popular as the “Upside Down” effect.

A long tradition

An alternate dimension like the Upside Down is already described in Stephen King’s masterpieces. There are some similarities between the world of Stranger Things and Derry in King’s novel IT. Some people noticed that the other world in Silent Hill worked similarly. However, we could track this kind of alternative dimension to big feature film classics as MATRIX (which will have a reboot soon) and “Welt am Draht” from Germany’s legendary filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder too. In some stories, the alternative dimension is always a kind of energy. Even the Force in Star Wars is a form of an alternate dimension. These ideas go back a long way: Dante’s Inferno describes a dark alternate dimension. The otherworld as a reflection of our world is an old Celtic idea. It exists in Greek mythology and ancient Norse mythology. It is the realm of the Gods but also of angels and demons.




The Otherworld is Real

Modern science suggests that the alternative dimension is not a fantasy. It is a reality. There are theories about a multiverse or a five-dimensional world. It relates to the experience of philosophers. It is hard to imagine a world without the existence of an alternative dimension. The mirror world is present in dreams and visionary experience. In many near-death-experience, there are accounts of an alternate dimension. There are similarities between the Upside Down and the stories from alien abductees. They experience often an alternate distorted reality before they could return to the ordinary world. The otherworld is an essential part of any hero’s journey. It is a fact that this applies both to fiction and true stories.

The deeper dimensions Of The Otherworld

If we take a closer look into descriptions of the otherworld and visionary experience we see that there is much more as the distorted alternate dimension. This dimension itself appears as a projection. It is in some way a simulation – an idea which also occurs in Stranger Things. There is something behind the veil. We are experiencing two forms of the otherworld, one which resembles our own and another otherworld which is beyond comprehension. It might be a more abstract world or a primordial world of ideas (as Plato expressed it). People experiencing the deeper realms of the otherworld are changed forever. A good example of the distinction between the alternate dimension and the deeper otherworld – The Beyond – is Stanley Kubrick’s Odyssee in Space. In the end, there is a room which is a distorted version of our reality with the 18th-century room but we sense this is a simulation. There is a palpable higher realm behind. We never see The Beyond, but we know it is there.

It is an important question if the alternate deeper dimension is just a different realm or another plane of reality or does it interact with our reality. If we take the visionary’s experience serious we can’t be sure if our ordinary reality isn’t kind of a projection. It could be the other way around: Our everyday world is a distorted version of the otherworld – see Matrix. Our world cannot exist without the otherworld.

Psychic Communication and Devices

Sometimes people purposely make attempts to enter the alternate dimension or communicate with the other realm. Psychics seem to have a natural ability to access the otherworld. “Eleven” in Stranger Things has a long history of models in fiction and the real world. In Tarkovsky’s Stalker which is also about entering alternate realms, the Stalker’s daughter, in the end, has psychic capabilities. In realties, many people who had close encounters are becoming psychics. Indeed there are many examples of telepathy, telekinesis and even teleportation in connection with the Otherworld. The alternate dimension is similar to the internet and can transport information. It is a way to access places and people far away without travelling in the physical plane. However, this is always a dangerous path since the otherworld can also be a treacherous reality.

Normal people use drugs, ritual and different devices to connect. As this is in the first place a shadow version of our world there are dangers everywhere. In the story of the Forest Dark Feature Film project, people try to make use of black fire. People going into the woods in the Witch Mountains because the mysterious lights promise knowledge. Many never come back.

In David Lynch’s Twin Peaks the log of the log lady is the device. Sandra Bullock communicates through the electrical lights in Stranger Things.

In other cases, people use any kind of magic device or practice to get something from the alternate plane of reality. Indeed, people sometimes get rewarded with knowledge about the unknown. Often a price must be paid. People getting too curious loose their mind. The alternate dimension is the realm of the dead too. Danger lurks there everywhere.