Heaven's Gate: Pawns of the Superspectrum? Part 1
Were Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles controlled by ultraterrestial forces beyond their...er, um, control?
The Summer of 1974 was one hell of a ride. On June 30, Martin Luther King Jr.’s mother was shot and killed in church by an assassin acting on “orders from his god.”1 Armed prisoners took seven people hostage in a Washington, D.C. courthouse jail. Texas was gripped by an 11-day standoff against a gang of gun-wielding convicts holed up inside a state penitentiary. Near the end of July, Turkey invaded Cyprus. In August, President Nixon resigned due to the Watergate Scandal.
The entire chaotic stretch was foreshadowed by “violent” solar flares and geomagnetic storms—heavenly outbursts that mirrored the mayhem unfolding below. When asked about the cosmic disturbance, scientists told the New York Times it was “one of the largest we’ve ever seen,” and “some kind of record.”2
Amidst this summertime madness, two unassuming individuals appeared at the doorstep of the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to gain momentum for their movement.
Marshall Applewhite (Bo) and Bonnie Nettles (Peep)—co-founders of the infamous Heaven’s Gate—had just awakened to their real purpose on this planet and were out to spread the good news. They were messengers for beings from a higher evolutionary plane, sent on a mission to help others find their way to “the next level.”3 Their stop in OKC to speak with the IUFOB was part of a larger campaign designed to garner recruits and create awareness.
Known as “the Two,” the mysterious pair claimed to be in mental contact with entities traveling aboard UFOs. Bo explained that these Next Level Beings (NLBs) were tangible creatures (“real at a vibratory control rate”) meaning that they could fluctuate their density and composition:
“For example, a spaceship can change its vibration rate. An individual who is a member of the next kingdom can change his vibration rate. He can appear and disappear in front of your eyes, because he has developed to that capacity. Do you understand that?”4
According to Bo, NLBs could control the speed of their molecules and change their form at will.
The Two weren’t all that interested in discussing actual UFOs, much to the chagrin of the ufologists at the IUFOB who spent their Saturday interviewing them. When pressed for details about the shape or design of a NLB spacecraft, Bo and Peep declined to elaborate. That type of information wasn’t important, nor was it “part of [their] programming.”5
Though they spoke with conviction, the duo failed to convert anyone in Oklahoma City that day. When asked how they might be reached in the future, Peep answered that they had no home, no address, and no formal way of being contacted. The only way to schedule another meeting was through mental transmission: “All you have to do is ‘think’ us.”6
UFO researcher Hayden Hewes later admitted that this unconventional method somehow worked to get in touch with Bo on multiple occasions.
The originators of Heaven’s Gate have been called many things—con artists, mentally unstable, and even government agents. In their quest to comprehend the group’s bizarre philosophy and tragic conclusion, the media pointed fingers at everything from Star Trek to radio host Art Bell.
But what if there was another culprit to blame for the trajectory of Bo and Peep’s lives?
Imagine an enigmatic, external force with the power to implant voices and visions, create monsters out of thin air, and convince a pair of average, tax-paying Southerners to become its emissaries.
What if the Two were victims of the superspectrum?
The superspectrum is a conceptual model that accounts for every flavor of supernatural phenomena. Popularized by Fortean author and researcher John Keel, the theory suggests that UFOs, ghosts, and other paranormal displays share the same source: they’re manifestations of energy controlled by mysterious bands of cosmic radiation. By harnessing various wavelengths from across the electromagnetic spectrum, this “superspectrum” can bring forth physical apparitions like glowing cryptids, ghostly phantoms, and nuts-and-bolts flying saucers.
It can also hijack frequencies that affect the human brain. Using finely-tuned waves of directed energy, it induces auditory and visual illusions that are indistinguishable from reality. Some speculate that all types of supernatural encounters stem from this system of mental tampering.
When Keel’s superspectrum framework is applied to the lives of Bo and Peep, it reveals a potential pattern of manipulation by this poorly-understood form of cosmic energy. Everything from their deteriorating personal lives to their regurgitated rhetoric acquires new meaning when viewed through this lens. Perhaps the star-crossed Texans weren’t deceitful or mentally disturbed. Maybe they were casualties of the superspectrum.
Were the Two destroyed by an anomalous form of super energy? Events throughout their lives reveal a familiar pattern. According to Keel, individuals often experienced a personal unraveling following a brush with the phenomenon. He called it the “tragedy syndrome.”7 Marriages ended. Careers dissolved. Families collapsed. Emotional distress was standard.
This cycle plays out across Marshall and Bonnie’s lives.
In the years leading up to his rendezvous with Peep, Bo had a textbook case of Keel’s “tragedy syndrome.” He suffered an emotional breakdown, split from his family, lost multiple jobs, accumulated debt, and was disowned by his dad.8 He struggled to maintain intimate relationships, resulting in a string of failed attempts and even a botched engagement.9 10
Nettles endured similar misfortunes. After 23 years and four children, her marriage was on the rocks. Things came to a head in 1972 when the practicing nurse linked up with Bo. She abandoned her job, ditched her family, and dedicated her remaining years to the pursuit of a higher calling.
Keel frequently encountered this brand of marital separation in people under the sway of the superspectrum:
“Part of the contactee syndrome involves divorcing their present spouse and later remarrying a person presumably selected for the ‘entities.’ In a number of cases, both parties in the new marriage became convinced they were actually space people themselves.”11
Sound familiar?
Applewhite and Nettles also reported multiple interactions with supernatural phenomena over the years. Bo had an out-of-body episode, heard strange voices, and recalled vivid dreams about “men dressed in white.”12 13
Peep regularly interacted with a spirit known as “Brother Francis,” while also dabbling in seances and the channeling of otherworldly entities.14
The Two’s mystical experiences could have been caused by beams of radiation sent from the superspectrum. Bo’s voices and visions might be explained as the product of high-energy waves hitting specific portions of his brain. Peep’s ghostly monk could have been a manifestation of molecules made to vibrate at the proper frequency. Keel’s hypothesis accounts for this type of visible apparitions:
“Since energy masses in the superspectrum can alter their frequencies and move up and down the electromagnetic spectrum, we can assume they can also manipulate atomic structure and enter our plane of reality by creating atoms compatible with our atomic structure.”15
Like many others who were touched by the superspectrum, the Two saw their lives “suddenly [come] down in ruins around [them].”16 This pattern often extended to a tragic or premature death. Indeed, both Bo and Peep experienced untimely ends. Nettles was only 58 when she died of cancer, while 65-year-old Applewhite terminated his life by swallowing a fatal dose of pills. Keel warned of this very act: “Suicide is common.”17
Click here for Part 2
“Black Leaders Say King Slaying Plot.” Oklahoma City Times, 1 July 1974, p. 1.
“A Violent Flare Recorded on Sun.” New York Times, 6 July, 1974, p. 44.
“Heaven’s Gate Audio Interview: Inside Heaven's Gate by Brad Steiger and Hayden Hewes” Heaven’s Gate Archive on YouTube. Interview conducted 13 July, 1974, @ 15:28.
Keel, John. The Eighth Tower: On Ultraterrestrials and the Superspectrum. Anomalist Books, 2013, p. 156-7.
Raine, Susan. “Reconceptualising the human body: Heaven’s Gate and the quest for divine transformation.” Religion, 2005, 35:2, p. 103.
Zeller, Benjamin. Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion. New York University Press, 2014, p. 22.
Bearak, Barry, “Eyes on Glory: Pied Pipers of Heaven’s Gate,” New York Times, 28 April 1997, p. 1.
Keel, John. Anomaly #2, Sept. 1969, p. 27.
“A Fatal Gate: Reflections on the Beliefs of a UFO Cult.” Ohio State University. 2019.
Zeller, Heaven’s Gate, 22-24.
Zeller, Heaven’s Gate, 19.
Keel, The Eighth Tower, 120.
Keel, The Eighth Tower, 156.
Keel, The Eighth Tower, 9.
Finally a new take on Heaven’s Gate. Got tired of podcast after podcast and article after article rehashing the same “facts” about this story. Excited to read part 2!
I believe John Keel is definitely on to something.