How-to be a Keelian Scholar in One Easy Step
Yesterday was UFO Day. Today is John Keel Day. The Observer's Mr. O'Connor talks with Rev. Ray Boeche about Keel's legacy.
John Keel passed away 15 years ago on July 3rd, 2009. He has been greatly missed by the Fortean community for his sharp wit and incredible insights into the many paranormal mysteries that investigators pursue on a daily basis. Keel’s original thinking shed light into these many dark corners.
To commemorate this day, Reverend Dr. Ray Boeche is making an incredible collection of Keel’s work available for free.
First a little background on the good Reverend. He is the founder and former director of the Fortean Research Center, and has been involved in the study of unexplained phenomena since 1965. Ray has served as Nebraska State Director for the Mutual UFO Network, sat on the Board of Advisors for Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, and in various consultant capacities with numerous other organizations around the world, involved in the study of unexplained phenomena. Not a person to sit still for long, Ray also edited and compiled The Complete Annals of the Journal of Fortean of the Fortean Research Center. I reached out to the Reverend to discuss Keel’s work and his legacy.
Bernie: Good morning Ray, thank you for your time today. And, on behalf of The Observer’s readers, thank you for your kind offer of a free PDF of John Keel’s Anomaly.
Ray: Thank you Bernie, I’m glad to speak with you.
B: Please tell us Ray, how did you manage to source such an impressive collection of Anomaly? There have been a few books published on John Keel’s newsletter, but they have been incomplete and all too often, of poor reproduction quality. Your copies are in excellent condition.
R: I had a partial set of original issues which I scanned, and I was able to find those issues which were missing, from Doug Skinner’s great website. Doug’s issues had been scanned at a lower resolution, so I did a lot of digital tweaking in Adobe Photoshop to increase the resolution and improve the appearance. I certainly didn’t keep track, but there are a few hundred hours of time in the final project. Finally, I assembled the completed document in Adobe InDesign, trying to remain as close as possible to the original “feel” of Anomaly.
B: After all that hard work, why are you giving it away for free?
R: I was raised in a family of very limited means. When I became interested in Fortean topics as a young boy of seven or eight, and seriously interested at age 10, it was always a struggle to be able to afford even a new mass-market paperback book that hit the shelves, or subscriptions—no matter how modest the price—to magazines or newsletters.
John graciously shared Anomaly and I was always thankful for his generosity. The kindness and respect shown to me as a young man by researchers like John Keel, Ivan Sanderson, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, and Dr. Berthold Schwarz, just to mention a few of the most well-known Forteans who helped and encouraged me, is something I like to try to “pay it forward.”
If I can provide a resource as important as Anomaly at no cost to those who otherwise might not be able to afford it, thereby encouraging further research and new insights, I am amply rewarded for my time and effort.
B: Cheers to you Ray for taking on this challenge. And best of all, for “paying it forward” to the Fortean community. Truly a labor of love on your part.
R: Why thank you Bernie, but I believe you can’t create the future unless you learn from the past.
B: And great advice, I might add. Why do you think it’s so important to preserve Keel’s work?
R: First, I think we have to define what I believe John’s work—whether consciously or not—came to include. I have come to settle—at least for the time being—on the term “paranormal.”
That word was first used in about 1905, the word is a combination of the English word “normal” and “para” from the Greek. Para, which means “by, near to, by the side of; in deviation from, in violation of, inconsistently with.” So when I use the term “paranormal” I am referring to that which is “near the side of, but in deviation from the normal.”
John’s work was, in my opinion, the first major step forward from the too-simplistic extraterrestrial hypothesis of UFOs, and the expansion of thinking from strictly UFOs, to more of a meta-analysis, if you will, of all such unusual events, which I call the “the paranormal” — topics as diverse as monster sightings, poltergeist activity and other ‘ghostly’ occurrences, psychic phenomena, animal mutilations, geophysical ‘manifestations’ such as ghost lights, supposed energy vortices, gravitational and magnetic anomalies, and so on.
John’s “Ultraterrestrial Hypothesis” was, and remains, the starting point to point, one might hope, to a more fully developed “Unified Field Theory of the Paranormal.”
Ultimate answers will not be discovered strictly in the fields of physical science, and certainly not in the supremely subjective area of the mystical; not in folklore, nor anthropology. While all these fields contribute to the attempts to arrive at a true understanding of the paranormal, none by themselves are sufficient. Even more importantly, I don’t believe one can insist on a non-relationship between these various topics.
One cannot investigate UFOs, and formulate a coherent hypothesis of their origin which fails to take into account the many psychic manifestations, poltergeist activities, creature encounters, etc., which are quite often experienced by UFO witnesses. One can’t overlook John’s important contributions to UFOlogy. There probably isn’t a UFO book written today where John’s work isn’t referenced in some manner. In fact, many of today’s mainstream theories about the phenomenon were originally Keel’s ideas that were considered outlandish at the time.
B: In your book’s introduction, you state that you knew John Keel very well. What were your Fortean discussions like?
R: John and I began corresponding in 1967, and often exchanged telephone calls to discuss current and especially emergent incidents. John was a respected journalist, and very much a sophisticated New Yorker. And I was a kid from small-town Nebraska—not necessarily a naturally compatible pair.
I had the privilege of first speaking with John during the tail end of the bizarre events recounted in, among other places, Mothman Prophecies. At the time these things were happening in the Ohio River Valley, similar events were taking place along the Missouri River in southeast Nebraska, with no fanfare or news coverage whatsoever. John was extraordinarily helpful in guiding me to view the giant bird sightings, creature encounters, and nightly UFO reports—all of which came to me by word-of-mouth from friends and neighbors in my hometown—as a whole, rather than unrelated events.
As the years went by, it became more apparent to me that John would often vary between two extremes: a captivating storyteller when he felt like it, to a rather acerbic curmudgeon. However, John was never anything but cordial and encouraging to this young kid from Nebraska.
I have a profound appreciation that in all of our dealings, John never spoke down to me, never failed to give positive guidance and encouragement, and always made it a point to make me aware of the potential negative effects of delving deeply into these subjects.
I had the great privilege to convince John to come to Lincoln in 1991 and 1992, and speak at the third and fourth “Exploring Unexplained Phenomena” conferences sponsored by the Fortean Research Center here in Lincoln, and held on the campus of the University of Nebraska.
B: How has Keel influenced your thoughts and opinions on Fortean phenomenon?
R: John was responsible for opening my eyes to the broad interrelated nature of the paranormal spectrum, and convincing me that that relationship is very real. One should never ignore ‘uncomfortable’ data: data which upsets the proverbial apple cart of one’s favorite hypothesis.
He also taught me to see the value in never ignoring or discarding even the most seemingly ridiculous experiences of percipients without a thorough examination. There are hoaxes, there are individuals with psychological problems, there are pathological liars—but just because these people exist, doesn’t exclude the possibility of this ‘uncomfortable data’ being true.
When one becomes too committed to a particular hypothesis—committed to the point of failing to question and test that hypothesis to see if it’s capable of handling all available data, especially the ‘uncomfortable data’ —one fails as a responsible investigator. In Lo!, Charles Fort wrote, “But some of us have been educated by surprises out of much that we were ‘absolutely sure’ of.” My hope is that everyone interested in these topics might receive such an education.
B: What do you think of John Keel as a Fortean researcher? Especially during the time he was producing Anomaly?
R: Some consider John to be little more than an unreliable “teller of tales,” but I disagree.
John was wading hip-deep through a virtual flood of paranormal events during the majority of the time he was producing Anomaly. More nearly-continuous happenings of high strangeness than most researchers will only see in a whole lifetime.
I believe John considered himself primarily a reporter of events. He did his best to weed out hoaxes, misidentifications and so on, but he never shied away from the uncomfortable data. Because he reported incredible events experienced by credible people which didn’t fit in with the preconceived notions of some, he was, in a sense, scorned.
I think John had a fabulous grasp of what it means to be a Fortean. And he was searching for the truth behind these events. Truth by its very nature must be based on a foundation of self-evident truths or first principles, that correspond to reality. That search for truth is what led to John’s Ultraterrestrial Hypothesis.
I would not be in a position intellectually or philosophically to make these arguments without standing on the foundation laid by John Keel. I’m not saying John would agree with my conclusions, but his work as a Fortean thinker and chronicler certainly helped shape my views.
John was, in my opinion, a true Fortean.
B: What do you think the most important thing a reader of the Anomaly newsletter collection should come away with?
R: An appreciation that the world is stranger than we can imagine, that we share this world with entities who are not always readily apparent to us, and that we learn to admit that we don’t know what we don’t know.
B: How do these issues of Anomaly and ideas presented in them, dating from 1969 through 1976, compare to today’s contemporary ideas and beliefs of UFOs and other Fortean phenomenon?
R: Anomaly presents a wide range of reports and some of John’s speculations about the source of these things. He was searching. Today, we have far too many individuals with no real grasp of the history of paranormal research—only a fascination with social media.
B: Hear, hear!
R: These are people who casually, yet authoritatively, call instruments which respond to nothing more than background electromagnetic energy as various kinds of “spirit detectors,” and see UFOs everywhere. They believe they are teaching people how to contact supposedly benevolent ETs using lasers, crystals and meditation, to “psychically” perceive everything about any location, and on and on, ad nauseam. They churn out fantastic amounts of worthless speculation masquerading as data.
Anomaly was primarily data, from which John formulated his hypotheses. Today, someone who understands the need to think critically has the extremely burdensome task of trying to separate the signal from the noise, if you will. And the noise just keeps growing louder.
B: Is there one quote from Keel that stands out as his most insightful or memorable that sums up his body of research?
R: There are so many nuggets of real wisdom in John’s work, but my favorite would probably be from UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (recently reprinted by our friends at Anomalist Books):
“UFOs do not seem to exist as tangible, manufactured objects. They do not conform to the accepted natural laws of our environment. They seem to be nothing more than transmogrifications tailoring themselves to our abilities to understand. The thousands of contacts with the entities indicate that they are liars and put-on artists. The UFOs seem to be, by and large, merely minor variations of the age-old demonological phenomenon.”
B: What did you think of UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse when you first read it?
R: I loved it! As I did John’s next book, The Eighth Tower: On Ultraterrestrials and the Superspectrum (also, recently reprinted by our friends at Anomalist Books)!
B: May I please interrupt here and mention that I think it’s a much underrated and overlooked book.
R: Yes indeed, I agree it’s an important book that needs to be in every Fortean library. The book was, if I remember correctly, made largely of material which the publisher cut from the original manuscript of Trojan Horse. I’m not sure if the original, unedited manuscript still exists, but I would love to see the original manuscript published in its entirety as John had hoped it would be.
Trojan Horse gives an excellent broad historical overview of the UFO phenomenon, as well as a pretty thorough treatment of John’s speculations on the origins of paranormal phenomena as a whole. I found it fascinating the first time through, and still find it so today.
When I first read it, it felt like a deep dive into John’s thinking at the time. He had expanded on things we had talked about in brief, and it was thought-provoking to say the least. To me at the time, it was the best and most comprehensive examination and explanation of not just UFOs, but also the various phenomena which accompany them.
I believe Operation Trojan Horse should be one of the first items of required reading for anyone who wants to publicly voice an opinion on this subject. I’d also add the rest of John’s books, as well as Ivan Sanderson’s Uninvited Visitors, all of Jacques Vallee’s work, especially Messengers of Deception, and Dr. Berthold Schwarz’s UFO Dynamics, just as an introduction to the subject.
As a theologian, today I take issue with John’s misconceptions in Operation Trojan Horse regarding the Holy Bible and his rather distorted view of Christianity. On the whole, and having known John for many years, I always liked to joke that he was one of the most Christian atheists I have ever known.
Reading this book from a Christian perspective, John has compiled case after case, the facts of which argue for a supernatural source (that is, a source originating outside of time and space: above nature). He, Jacques Vallee, and Allen Hynek were the first prominent thinkers to make a reasonable argument that there was more to the UFO question than “some other world’s machines” appearing in our skies. I should add that while Allen Hynek would seldom allude to his personal views in this regard in public forums, but privately was very interested in a non-physical explanation for many of these events.
In Operation Trojan Horse, John writes:
“Dabbling with UFOs can be as dangerous as dabbling with black magic. The phenomenon preys upon the neurotic, the gullible, and the immature. Paranoid-schizophrenia, demonomania, and even suicide can result — and has resulted in a number of cases. A mild curiosity about UFOs can turn into a destructive obsession. For this reason I strongly recommend that parents forbid their children from becoming involved. Schoolteachers and other adults should not encourage teenagers to take an interest in the subject.”
John’s warning (a warning he repeatedly gave me to be careful while dealing with these things) still remains valid today, and as a pastor and theologian, I’m now called on regularly to help people nationwide, who began quite innocently with an interest in these things, and soon found themselves enmeshed in things which became overwhelming. It’s not a topic to play with.
B: Trojan Horse also had a dramatic effect on my UFO belief system and changed my whole approach to the phenomenon. I remember reading it for the first time and thinking: “I can’t believe it, John Keel actually solved the UFO mystery!” Yet oddly, I couldn’t explain what exactly the solution was! I also whole heartedly agree with your excellent recommended reading list for researcher newbies. Startling original thinking and insights all around.
B: Thank you again Ray and I’ll keep a lookout for your new, upcoming paper.
R: Thank you Bernie.
To get your FREE PDF of John Keel’s Anomaly Newsletter (as well as copies of Ray’s other UFO papers and parts one and two of The Complete Annals of the Journal of Fortean of the Fortean Research Center) click here.
