Friday, April 17, 2026

Dark Neighborhood: The World of the Djinn



 

DARK NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WORLD OF THE DJINN

By Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU)

© 2007

The concept that "we are not alone" is of paramount importance to those interested in ufology and its allied disciplines, even if the company they expect to find resides on planets far removed from Earth—whether in other solar systems within the Milky Way or in other galaxies such as Andromeda. Amateurs and scholars of "nuts-and-bolts ufology"—as it is often called—have calculated the possible points of origin for the supposedly extraterrestrial phenomenon that visits us so assiduously; alternatively, they have envisioned a complete taxonomy of beings worthy of a George Lucas film—short Greys, tall Blondes, imposing Reptilians, and fearsome Insectoids—each the product of distinct celestial bodies.

However, since the earliest years of ufological inquiry, the possibility has been entertained that our visitors may not hail from such distant locales, but are instead beings who share this great blue planet with us. The writings of Robert Shaver suggested that a primordial race abandoned our world due to the harmful effects of solar radiation, leaving behind the negative and positive remnants of their species—the *deros* and *teros* of the Shaverian chronicles—who inhabit the intraterrestrial realm. More serious writers, such as Ivan T. Sanderson, wrote extensively about "uninvited guests" dwelling on the ocean floor who went to great lengths to avoid contact with *Homo sapiens*; other thinkers have situated our invisible neighbors in the most remote reaches of the Amazon or on the Tibetan Plateau. Yet, traditions of far greater antiquity suggest that we share our world with beings of terrestrial—albeit non-human—origin... beings regarded by the legal authorities of one-fifth of humanity as real entities that are, for the most part, inimical to human beings. Several prominent authors in the fields of ufology and the paranormal—such as Salvador Freixedo, Gordon Creighton, and John Keel—have made mention of them in their works: they are none other than the inexplicable Djinn.

“Made of Smokeless Fire”

Given the political climate currently affecting our world, it feels somewhat risky to quote passages from a religious text that many consider inimical to Western thought. The text in question is the Quran—the Muslim Bible, so to speak—which provides us with the earliest information we possess regarding these beings. They occupy an intermediate position within the divine work of creation—situated halfway between the angels (spiritual beings) and humanity (beings “of clay,” as our own religious texts remind us). The Djinn possess a nature distinct from both; for, as indicated in the Quranic chapter dedicated to these entities, they were created from smoke and fire.

To this day, Islamic scholars maintain the existence of these beings. And while devotees of Islam are forbidden from believing in ghosts or engaging in divinatory practices, belief in the Djinn is, in fact, a religious commandment.

The term "Djinn" appears 29 times in the Quran—not counting the *sura* (or chapter) titled "Surah Al-Djinn," which abounds with specific details regarding our hidden neighbors. These beings inhabit a world invisible to human eyes; they are capable of "eating, drinking, and procreating" just like humans, and—much like us—they come in both good and evil varieties (in this specific context, those Djinn who have embraced Islam are considered "good"). Although they are by no means immortal, they are credited with prodigious longevity; indeed, some scholars assert that there are Djinn alive today who were already living when Muhammad first began preaching in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Another Quranic teaching states: "Verily, We created humanity from clay and soft mud, and the Djinn from smokeless fire." (Qur. 15:26-27). The scholar Ibn Abbas states that two millennia before the creation of Adam and Eve, the Djinn already inhabited our planet, although their tenancy was characterized by corruption and warfare. Regiments of angels sent by Allah battled against these beings made of fire, vanquishing them and banishing them to certain islands. Unlike the Judeo-Christian tradition, it was not until that moment that the Creator decided to undertake the creation of the human race.

For reasons left unexplained, these invisible and intelligent beings can only manifest themselves to us by assuming repulsive forms—specifically snakes and black dogs, much like the Black Shuck of the British Isles—though, as we shall see later, they are also capable of mimicking humans. Muhammad established the existence of three classes of Djinn: those that move through the air; those that manifest as snakes and dogs; and those that exist in a specific location but possess the gift of traveling from one place to another.

Concern regarding these beings who share our world persists to this day, with websites posting legal opinions (fatwas) from various Quranic scholars regarding inquiries related to the Djinn. It comes as no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions concerns the possibility of humans marrying these beings and having offspring. A strange preoccupation—though perhaps not so strange if we examine the following cases.

 

Forbidden Loves

During one of his television appearances in the United States in the 1990s (*El Show de Cristina*, 1991), the thinker and parapsychologist Salvador Freixedo posited that the interest in "the generational, the generative, and the genital"—an interest that emerged from the phenomenon of alleged extraterrestrial abductions at the time—bore a close relationship to historical accounts of other beings who have engaged intimately with humans—at least within the realm of myth and legend—such as sylphs, undines, nymphs, and other creatures known by various names in legends across the globe.

In early 2007, paranormal researcher and author Brad Steiger returned with a new book, *Shadow World: True Encounters With Beings from the Darkside* (San Antonio, TX: Anomalist Press, 2007), in which he revisited previously unpublished cases involving clearly extra-human beings seeking emotional and physical union with humans. One of the most intriguing cases Steiger recounts in his work is that of Kent Grondhal, a young American of Scandinavian descent who was attending the University of Iowa when he decided to hop in his car for a drive through the countryside, hoping that the scenery—endless cornfields and small villages—might help take his mind off his academic worries. Before long, he passed through a tiny hamlet comprising just a few houses, a general store, and a gas station—a place where a traditional Swedish dance festival happened to be taking place.

Immensely proud of his cultural heritage, young Grondhal decided to park his vehicle and join in the festivities. But just as he was about to do so, a hulking man with intimidating blue eyes blocked his path—apparently intent on landing a punch for no reason whatsoever. At that moment, another man—tall and smiling—stepped in and introduced himself as Erik Hagen. When Grondhal introduced himself in turn, Hagen immediately asked if his family hailed from a certain specific place; upon receiving an affirmative answer, he embraced Kent as if he were a long-lost relative. The student then went on to meet the other partygoers. “They spoke with such a thick Scandinavian accent,” Grondhal noted, “that it was as if they had just arrived straight from Sweden itself.”

It wasn't long before the student’s gaze settled upon Kari Rogeness, a charming blonde who claimed to live right there in the village—whereas the others had merely gathered for an annual reunion. Although the young woman had initially seemed receptive to his interest, as the hours wore on, she began to grow somewhat reticent—especially whenever Grondhal asked if it might be possible to see her again. At the end of the evening, the student returned to the university with the image of Kari etched in his mind. He immediately looked up her name in the phone book—but found nothing. No one by that name existed.

Days later, upon entering a restaurant, he ran into Erik Hagen and his entire entourage—the very same guests from the countryside party. Kari Rogeness, however, was conspicuously absent. Hagen approached the student to tell him that, much as his friends had taken a liking to him, he needed to put Kari out of his mind completely, as any future together was simply out of the question. “We are connected to you people—but not in the way you understand it,” the smiling Hagen told him. “There are some among us who harbor resentment toward your kind because we were here first, and at times we feel supplanted by you. But listen to me, young Grondhal, for we hold sincere affection for you. We ask that you stop searching for Kari. What you hope for can never come to pass.”

As described by Steiger, the student was about to reply when the waitress informed him that his order was ready. In the brief seconds he was distracted attending to her, Hagen and his entourage had already exited through the door. When he attempted to follow them, he could see no sign of them anywhere.

“Three years later, during a visit to New York to see a friend,” the author writes, “Kent Grondhal is certain he saw Kari Rogness and Erik Hagen walking through Times Square while he was riding in a taxi.” When he caught their attention from the window, the pair stared back at him before disappearing into the lobby of a movie theater. “I cannot help but wonder how many Eriks and Karis—and other ‘relatives’ of ours—wander among us, blending into the crowd, concealing their true identities and purposes.”

Thus concludes the story of the young student, as shared with us by Brad Steiger.

The simplest answer is always the correct one. Young Kari felt pestered by Grondhal’s attention and did everything in her power to avoid him. Erik Hagen—her kinsman, guardian, or lover—politely asked the student to keep his distance. Case closed. Nevertheless—if the words spoken by Hagen in the restaurant constitute a faithful quotation—we are faced with a curious instance: “There are some among us who harbor a grudge against your kind because we were here first, and at times we feel supplanted by you.” This sounds like a characterization of the condition of the Djinn, in accordance with the views expressed by Ibn Abbas.

Islamic authorities acknowledge the possibility of unions between humans and Djinn, though they deem such unions undesirable; furthermore, they note that the legal compendium (Sharia) offers no irrefutable statutes on the subject, leading some to opine that a union between humans and Djinn would be lawful, while others maintain the contrary. One of the voices raised against such unions is that of Al-Khateeb Al-Shirbini, who posits that there are two classes of marital restrictions: perpetual and non-perpetual. Matrimony between humans and Djinn falls under the category of perpetual restrictions. Ibn Abidin, a Hanafi scholar, points out that marital restrictions are specific in nature, and that a man may not unite himself with another man, with a hermaphrodite, with a polytheistic woman, with a close female relative... or with a female Djinn.

Other jurists are not quite so categorical. Al-Hasan Al-Basri maintained that a union between humans and Djinn was lawful, “provided that there were witnesses” to the event. Imam Al-Suyuti, citing earlier authorities, affirmed the validity of marriage between our own species and that of our enigmatic neighbors. Let us examine what Ibn-Unus states in his treatise, *Sharh Al-Wajeiz*: “If such a union were deemed licit, would the man possess the authority to compel his Djinn wife to remain within the home? (bearing in mind that the Djinn are known to have a propensity for traveling vast distances). Let us suppose the man finds it distasteful to see his wife in any form other than the human one; would this grant him the right to forbid her from manifesting in other guises? Furthermore, would the standard conditions required for any other marital contract be fulfilled? For instance, is the approval of the prospective wife’s Djinn guardian a prerequisite? Would their marriage be considered valid under the laws of the Djinn? Suppose the husband observes his wife having assumed a form distinct from the one he recognizes, yet she insists upon her identity; would he be capable of believing her and engaging in conjugal relations with her? Would he be obligated to provide her with the sustenance consumed by the Djinn—such as bones and similar items?”

Debates concerning this subject—specifically, carnal relations between our own species and beings that, to the Western world, “do not exist”—are extensive and wide-ranging within Islamic jurisprudence, with arguments advanced both for and against. The ultimate consensus appears to be that marriage between a human male and a female Djinn is frowned upon for the following reason: the possibility—however remote (given that such a union is generally considered to be sterile)—of producing offspring that is half-human and half-Djinn. “A group of Yemenis once wrote to Imam Malik, stating: ‘A male Djinn has appeared before us seeking to take a young human woman as his wife, claiming that his intention in this matter is to follow the path of the righteous.’ Imam Malik replied: ‘I perceive nothing inherently wrong with this; however, I am concerned about exposing this woman to a situation in which she might be asked about her husband and be compelled to answer that he is a male Djinn. Such a circumstance could lead to moral corruption among the Muslim community.’” It would be interesting to draft a letter to these scholars of Islam and ask for their opinion regarding the alleged hybridization between humans—allegedly “abducted by UFOs”—and the large-headed beings who crew them...

Do They Want to Be Like Us?

One of the most intriguing cases involving clearly non-human beings—yet ones that adopt the form of our own species for unknown purposes—is also associated with manifestations of the extremely rare Men in Black (MIB), who, at one time, occupied a distinct category of study within the field of ufology. Most people interested in this phenomenon will recall that one of the best-documented cases of this type occurred in 1976, when American psychiatrist Herbert Hopkins received a visit from a mysterious figure dressed in a black suit and wearing a derby hat. The enigmatic visitor’s face was covered in white makeup, and he wore lipstick on his lips. The figure asked several questions regarding a UFO case the professional was investigating (the Stephens case, Maine, 1975) and then proceeded to make a penny vanish from the open palm of a stunned Hopkins, causing it to completely dematerialize. The stranger warned him: “Neither you nor anyone else on this plane—not planet—will ever see that coin again.”

Well then: on September 24, 1976—following this unsettling visit from the Man in Black—an equally unsettling couple appeared at the home of John and Maureen Hopkins—the son and daughter-in-law of the psychologist investigating the UFO case. The physical description of both individuals, combined with their utter and complete ignorance of American society at the time, led the young Hopkins couple to suspect that there was something strange about their visitors. The man wore clothing seemingly plucked straight out of a 1950s catalog—though the garments themselves were perfectly new, practically brand-new (similar details appear in other cases involving Men in Black). The woman was even more striking due to her bizarre physical build—a distended abdomen and breasts that appeared to protrude directly from her ribs—and the way she wobbled as she walked, as if her legs did not fit correctly into her pelvis. The exchanges between these two figures resembled a painfully memorized script rather than the sort of conversation one would expect from a couple.

John Hopkins answered a few questions regarding his father, the UFO case in question, and other matters. However, the strange man seemed far more interested in other topics: “The man and his female companion were taken aback when John explained that he and his wife carried out most of their activities together. While asking questions, the man groped his companion, asking John if he was doing it correctly” (Schwarz, p. 248). Shortly thereafter, the visitor began pestering Maureen with indiscreet questions, inquiring about “her body’s physical contours” and asking if she had any nude photographs of herself she could show him. After a while, the female declared that it was time to leave, and something even stranger occurred: “Her companion stood up, yet made no move to head for the exit. The woman told him several times that she wanted to go, finally pleading with John Hopkins: ‘Would you be so kind as to move him? I cannot do it myself’—as if she were incapable of, or simply did not know how to, walk around her motionless partner to reach the door.

The rational explanation for this curious event from thirty years ago is perfectly reasonable. In rural areas of North America—as in any other part of the world—tragic cases of mental impairment and physical abnormalities occur due to poor nutrition or incest. Living in isolated communities—almost invariably under the sway of a self-proclaimed preacher—there are individuals who remain completely oblivious to the era in which they live or to customary social norms. It is entirely plausible that “Bill Post” (the name given by the strange man) and his companion belonged to one of these groups.

Nevertheless, the possibility that they were, in fact, intelligent creatures merely mimicking human beings remains deeply unsettling. “Bill Post’s” interest in viewing photographs of the young Mrs. Hopkins in the nude—along with his earlier groping of his own companion—underscores these beings’ determination to pass themselves off as humans by slavishly copying the details of intimate behavior, which they find utterly fascinating. The fact that the companion of “Mr. ...[if the] "Post" did not know how to walk around—this strange immobility also suggests a lack of familiarity with the human body, as if these were human beings attempting to walk while clad in medieval armor.

Strange Yankees from the forests of New England, or creatures fascinated by the "generational, genitive, and genital" aspects noted by Freixedo? We leave the decision to the reader.

Animals and Technology of the Djinn

Islamic literature indicates that the Djinn possess animals, and that it is permissible to feed them both human and animal excrement (with the consequent prohibition against humans consuming excrement—as if such a prohibition were even necessary). However, descriptions of these beings are lacking, and scholars simply offer the explanation that "such is the will of Allah."

It falls to us to speculate on whether the creatures with glowing eyes reported in cryptozoology—certain Bigfoot-like species, the Chupacabras, monstrous birds, etc.—might correspond to these animals of the Djinn. This is despite the fact that we have observed them feeding on blood and carrion rather than fecal matter—though, then again, who really knows? Psychologist Berthold Schwarz, a scholar of the UFO phenomenon from a psychiatric perspective, noted in his analysis of a UFO sighting and encounter with hairy beings in Greensburg, Pennsylvania (USA) in 1973, that the beings' intense red eyes—one adult specimen and one apparently juvenile one which, judging by the sketches produced by witnesses, bore a greater resemblance to a werewolf than to the ape-like creatures associated with Bigfoot—"suggested the possibility that their origin lay in a world of total darkness." (Schwarz, Berthold E., *UFO Dynamics*. Moore Haven, Florida: Rainbow Books, 1983). Could this world of darkness—which has figured so prominently in Western religions—be the reality assigned to the Djinn? If so, it is hardly surprising that they might wish to visit ours from time to time.

Contemporary scholars have taken an interest in the potential technology available within the obscure realm of the Djinn. Charles Upton, author of *The System of Antichrist* (NY: Sophia Perennis, 2001), addresses an aspect that some might consider delusional—or, at the very least, worthy of a *Conan the Barbarian* novel: the possibility that the Djinn possess technology, whether of their own devising or stolen from humans.

 Before turning to Upton’s thoughts on the matter, it is worth noting that others have briefly speculated along these lines—perhaps inspired by medieval engravings depicting "Hell" in all its terror, teeming with demons tormenting the impious with a variety of implements: torture wheels, long needles, hooks, and other objects whose precise functions remain unclear. The logical assumption, of course, would be that the medieval or Renaissance artist simply placed into the hands of the underworld’s masters the very same tools available to any torturer of the Holy Brotherhood...

Upton, however, argues to the contrary, drawing upon the writings of the Orthodox priest Seraphim Rose—who passed away in 1982—and who asserted that the UFO phenomenon, for instance, was nothing more than "demons doing what demons have always done." Their craft, he argued, are the product of a "demonic" technology that originates in the subtle realm yet impacts the physical realm: "It is clear that the manifestations of today’s flying saucers fall squarely within the scope of the technology available to demons. Indeed, there is no other explanation that accounts for them so effectively." “The manifold demonic deceptions appearing in the literature of the [Orthodox Church] have been adapted into the myth of the spatial—and nothing more.” (Upton, p. 334, citing Rose). The late Orthodox priest maintained that UFOs are “both physical craft and psychic devices.”

Upton links the Orthodox priest’s assertions to his own research on the Djinn: “[...] And this aligns precisely with folklore regarding the Djinn throughout the world: they are capable of affecting the physical plane, yet incapable of maintaining a stable presence within it. I sometimes wonder whether our computer technology—which has always struck me as being, to some extent, inspired by the Djinn—might represent a means for them to construct vehicles for themselves that are stable within our world, given the fact that the Djinn and UFOs appear capable of interacting with electromagnetic energy.”

Is Upton, then, an adherent of the 19th-century “Luddites” who advocated for the destruction of the Industrial Revolution’s infernal machinery? His words seem to suggest as much; yet he would be neither the first nor the only person to suspect that the digital realm—epitomized by the World Wide Web, the Internet—has acquired an intelligence of its own, or has fallen under the control of some extra-human agency. In 1997, researcher Steve Mizrach addressed this very subject in his paper “Ghost in the Machine: Haitian Voudoun and the Matrix” (Crash Collusion No. 8, Austin, TX), noting that the new generation of programmers was awestruck by the algorithms they employed to write their code—algorithms that “seemed to possess a life of their own, owing to their unexpected, emergent properties and their reactions to external stimuli... Indeed, many robotics technicians are frequently baffled by the almost ‘lifelike’ responses of their creations—responses that resemble animal or human reactions rather than those strictly dictated by their control algorithms.” Terence Sejnowski, a neuroscientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, does not rule out the possibility that the Internet may have acquired a consciousness of its own (The World Question Center, http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_8.html). However, this takes us too far afield from the question of the Djinn and their technology.

During the 1960s and 70s, cases occurred that were largely overlooked because they lacked the dramatic elements prescribed by ufology—specifically, the sighting or landing of a craft, the pursuit of a witness by non-humans, and the subsequent harassment of that witness by the military. These cases, which bordered on the "Fortean," included accounts of flying saucers stealing computer technology from Honeywell warehouses and other computer manufacturing plants of that era. Other witnesses, having been taken aboard these saucers, would later claim to have observed human technology inside the craft. Were these technical components stolen by the Djinn, or were they the result of efforts by the military or political establishment to confuse witnesses of the anomalous?

If we entertain the possibility that the Djinn either construct their own machinery or steal ours, might this serve to explain the still-unsolved case files regarding the "phantom airships" that caused such a sensation between 1896 and 1897? Or the phantom aircraft and rockets sighted across Scandinavia in 1946? During the wave of phantom airship sightings, it appeared as though pseudo-humans were amusing themselves by mimicking humanity’s clumsy attempts to realize the long-cherished dream of flight. The case files range from enormous airships worthy of Robur the Conqueror to aircraft that flapped their wings in flight (according to John Keel). As soon as the Wright Brothers, Santos-Dumont, and Blériot achieved their breakthroughs, these flying contraptions ceased to appear.

Saucer Abductions and the Djinn

This brings us to the point we wished to address. We are entirely at liberty to consider the phenomenon of abductions—perpetrated by beings hailing from UFOs or other realities—as either a genuinely unsettling reality or one of the most striking instances of mass psychosis in human history. Some writers and researchers have attempted to examine this subject in depth, asking themselves whether a truly alien and super-advanced civilization would actually resort to the methods of study (or hybridization) employed by the alleged "Greys," "Blonds," and "Reptilians" that feature in contemporary accounts. One would expect a super-civilization to manipulate genetics with far greater ease than our own, without the subject of the experiment ever becoming aware of what had transpired. Yet, despite the displays of technology (or pseudo-technology) that these abductors reveal to their victims, their methods remain primitive, invasive, and even sadistic.

For our 21st-century civilization—immersed in digital technology, deriving pleasure from Nintendo consoles and the passive consumption of television programs—it is far easier to believe in technically advanced visitors from another planet than in creatures whose existence we know primarily through *The Thousand and One Nights*, even though virtually every culture speaks of this other order of beings. The obsession with interbreeding with human beings is a theme that surfaces even in our works of fantasy. A classic example is the wizard Merlin (Myrddin) of Celtic tradition, the son of a mortal woman and a being who, "though not evil, was far from good"—a description that fits the *Djinn* perfectly. We have seen that the Muslim tradition holds that Djinn are capable of easily changing their appearance, assuming forms that are either pleasing or repulsive, depending on their needs. This gift of mutability would seem to correspond to the "Grays" who have become part of the UFO establishment. In many cases, witnesses claim to have copulated with males or females deemed highly attractive by human standards of beauty—only for these figures to ultimately reveal themselves as macrocephalic dwarfs (one of whom, according to a single abductee, was wearing a black wig). This gift—attributed to the Djinn and various other beings in human mythology—has, inevitably, been "technologized" and described as a "screen memory" that the Grays can superimpose over an abductee's actual recollections.

Abductees also claim—sometimes under hypnosis, other times while fully conscious—to have witnessed the fruit of this interspecies mingling: beings that are half-human, half-"Gray"—frail and sickly creatures. At times, they describe more developed entities: beings possessing distinctively human features, yet bearing the enormous black eyes characteristic of their extra-human lineage. Other abductees speak at length of assistants who appear to be one hundred percent human, working side by side with the Grays. Are these individuals part of a human "fifth column" aiding the extra-humans, or are they simply beings who have assumed a pleasing guise in order to put us at ease?

“In recent times, some abductees have recounted visits to a chamber filled with fetuses floating in tanks, or have reported being handed hybrid infants or children with whom they are expected to play or interact. If the witness is transported by these beings, their destination is otherworldly—though not necessarily another planet. A brief journey carries the craft and its crew into a subterranean or submarine environment: an 'intraterrestrial' realm of great beauty, yet devoid of sunlight; or a uniformly illuminated sky [...] often dark and desolate, bearing signs of ruin and destruction.” (Bullard, Thos. “Abductions.” *The Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters*, Ed. Ronald Story. New York: 2001, p. 6). The elves or sprites described by the Reverend Kirk in his work *The Secret Commonwealth* claimed to be capable of destroying humanity with a single stroke, yet they refrained from doing so “because they awaited Salvation.” A thoroughly Christian sentiment, naturally. However, they could attain this salvation or redemption only through humans—by merging with us to acquire that which religious believers have termed “the soul”—a concept that would undoubtedly elicit a scornful smile from the lips of skeptics. If we accept as true the premise that alleged abductees have indeed witnessed and experienced everything they have recounted to us, may we then surmise that—despite the frailty of the resulting offspring and the intensive care they require—they now possess a soul?

On the other hand, it is certainly intriguing that ufologists have interpreted this amalgamation of species as something positive. At the Human Potential Foundation conference held in Washington, D.C., in 1993—the theme of which was “The Encounter Between Cosmic Cultures”—a former legal advisor to the National Research Council classified the hybrids of Grays and humans as “the next species: *Homo alterios spatialis*.”

Many abductees insist that they have witnessed images of humanity’s future on a planet utterly devastated by environmental crises, pollution, or impacts from extraterrestrial bodies. These terrifying scenes have been projected directly into the abductees' minds, or have formed part of a kind of “theatrical performance” in which many abductees gaze intently at what appears to be a screen displaying the future. The only ones capable of surviving in this apocalyptic world will be the hybrids of humans and Grays—beings perfectly acclimated to this terrible “new world.”

 Charles Upton offers us a frankly terrifying possibility—one, however, that will likely only convince the religiously minded: “But if they are so intent on mesmerizing poor mortals with their superior powers, to what can we attribute their apparent envy of our capacity to inhabit physical bodies? Could it be that they are fully aware—even if we ourselves have forgotten it—that the human form is the image of God, and that, consequently, they do everything in their power to supplant it—primarily by tempting us to deconstruct it, both physically and psychologically? If they—for all their gifts—seem to desire to become human, even as they seek to make us more like themselves, what does this reveal about their own self-assessment of their condition? Perhaps they are simply attempting to avoid Hell.” (Upton, *System of Antichrist*, p. 338).

In Summary

All of us living today—with a few exceptions—are products of cinema, television, and fantasy and science fiction literature. We feel no hesitation whatsoever in describing a device or situation as “worthy of *Star Trek* or *Star Wars*.” Our primary frame of reference is technology—ranging from the very first handheld calculator to the brand-new iPod® from Apple. If we spot a strange light in the sky, or a disc-shaped craft in the middle of a meadow, we do not hesitate to place it within a technological context—in this case, as a spacecraft hailing from any of the planets, civilizations, or galaxies that our reading and movie-going experiences have conjured in our minds. Indeed, it is far more plausible and culturally acceptable to speak of aliens, extraterrestrials, and the like than of elves, dDjinn, sylphs, and undines—despite the existence of millennia-old traditions concerning these beings and their relationship with our own species.

It is considered perfectly reasonable to imagine that an extra-planetary culture dispatches its ships to abduct men and women—to harvest their reproductive material against their will for the sake of humanity’s future; to save another species that has lost its reproductive capacity; because the members of said species are, in reality, the "Watchers" of the Old Testament; or because their mission is to preserve life across all inhabited planets. Yet, to consider that these beings might actually be the neighbors we have always had—beings that inhabited our world long before the emergence of humanity and that will likely remain here long after our extinction—is deemed preposterous... or, at least, that is what we are told.