The Roswell Pilgrimage
(originally published Sept 2008)
Pilgrimage has touched on all aspects of human existence among all cultures throughout the ages. A pilgrimage signifies a journey to a place of meaning. And this journey does not have to be physical in nature. In fact with Roswell, more often this journey is made by the spirit and in the mind.
At their core, Roswell pilgrims identify themselves as planetary residents whose true home is Somewhere Else. They live with the knowledge that Something Higher has been here, and that Man will one day go There. The ultimate destination on this pilgrimage isn't Roswell, New Mexico. The destination is a New World.
Roswell Pilgrims view their journey as long, tedious and arduous. They view themselves as few in number and misunderstood by many. They want to spread the Good News and shed light on the darkness of ignorance. And those making the Roswell pilgrimage seek their reward, as do all pilgrims. They are set on a pathway that they believe will lead them to that much prayed-for-reward, an encounter with Something Higher.
Roswell has its Books of Revelations. It has its elusive relic and revered Holy Grail – the debris. It also has its Saints, with names like Marcel and Proctor. It even has its sacrificial corpses from above (though one, it is
said, may have been crucified). And Roswell "witnesses" for truth. That ET's craft can crash reveals their fallibility. Like us, ET is liable to err.
But there are essential differences that distinguish Roswell pilgrims from their religion-oriented counterparts:
The Alien is not their God. Rather for them, the Alien represents the infinite diversity and splendor of God's Universe. And "faith" is not required, because for them, Roswell is historical fact. It is Solution that is sought, not Salvation. And the Roswell pilgrimage is not simply homage to a "crashed saucer" event. Its meaning unfolds on many levels and has increasingly broad appeal. Especially in these troubled times.
Because what the Roswell journey really represents is a pilgrimage against the dishonesty of government. It is a protest against public policy that does not include the public. Roswell has a distaste for deception. Roswell distrusts authority and disapproves of secrecy. It recognizes that men are capable of great conspiracies against mankind, even over decades. It sees great power vested in a very few. It values openness and restructuring. It understands that a society based on a series of lies cannot endure. Such knowledge should not be kept for the few, but should be shared for all. Roswell pilgrims are ready. They do not believe that Man is the Center of Everything. They welcome the other, the Alien. They will not fear or panic the inevitable Change when arrival is made, or when ET existence is acknowledged. They fear their own political, economic, military and intelligence establishments more than they ever would the Alien.
Often marginalized by the mainstream, they are unfazed. They know that what they are blessed to know is of the greatest historical significance. It is even of cosmic import. They rightly identify with those throughout history whose quiet and painstaking research was not immediately recognized by the mainstream. They can be likened to those whose work was only appreciated in far hindsight. They are akin to the Medieval ones who knew that the Earth was round and revolved around the Sun. This despite what was dictated as truth by the great authorities of the day. As proverbial one-eyed men in a kingdom of the blind, they take the pilgrimage.
It is a journey that I have also undertaken. Because I too am a Roswell Pilgrim.