We are not alone, is a favorite expression of ufologists, implying that other planets in the universe are inhabited. With the ideological trends in today´s UFO-research in mind we should perhaps say: we are not alone - on earth. Grave doubts concerning the ETI hypothesis have led several leading ufologists to speculate on a more earth-based origin for our elusive saucers. This is probably one of the reasons for the resurgence of interest in the inner earth theory. No less than three new UFO-magazines are devoted to the study of inner earth, Shaver and related subjects. With this article I wish to present a few sources of inner earth lore some of which, to the best of my knowledge, have never been referred to before in UFO literature. I refrain from using the term hollow earth, which is such an obvious physical impossibility. The thought of caves and tunnels in the earth though is a bit more intriguing, here an open mind is as usual the best attitude.

THE OCCULT TRADITION

Very little is said about the inner earth in traditional occult literature, although there are hints here and there. The reason for this scarcity of information is usually ascribed to the extreme secrecy of the subject. It is regarded as the "Secret of the Ages", which is also the apt title of a book by the British ufologist Brinsley le Poer Trench (1).

A few short notes are to be found in theosophical works of Charles Leadbeater and Alice Bailey. These books, of course, were written long before the UFO era. In "The Inner Life" by Leadbeater is stated: "The conditions of the interior of our earth are not easy to describe. Vast cavities exist in it, and there are races inhabiting these cavities, but they are not of the same evolution as ourselves. One of these evolutions...is at the level distinctly lower than any race now existing upon the surface of the earth... the other is more nearly at our level, yet utterly different from anything that we know". (2)

That we share our planet with other unknown races is hinted at in Leadbeater´s "The Astral Plane": "...there are two other great evolutions which at present share the use of this planet with humanity; but about them it is forbidden to give any particulars at this stage of the proceedings (1895 - HB) as it is apparently not intended under ordinary circumstances either that they should be conscious of man´s existence or man of theirs. If we do come into contact with them it will most probably be on the purely physical plane..."(3) A reference to the same (?) entities is given in "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" by Alice Bailey: "Among the manipulating devas of the lowest level of the dense physical plane are to be found certain subterranean forms of existence, of which hints are to be found in theancient and occult books. There is to be found in the very bowels of the earth, an evolution of a peculiar nature, with a close resemblance to the human. They have bodies of a peculiarly gross kind, which might be regarded as distinctly physical as we understand the term. They dwell in settlements or groups, under a form of government suited to their needs, in the central caves several miles below the crust of the earth..." (4)

Very few theosophical writers of the present generation have had anything new to say on this subject. One exception is Dr. Douglas Baker, exponent of the Bailey-tradition of theosophy. In "Practical Techniques of Astral Projection" he describes an out-of-the-body visit to the inner earth: "I was aware that we were in a vast underground hall that grew in size. I could see that a whole civilization, unlike anything I had ever witnessed, was down there, the people were fair skinned but their hair was dark... I had visited ´the place where evil dwell´, symbolized by a race of Atlantean degenerates whose practice of evil arts, or what we now call black magic, had helped bring about the destruction of Atlantis. This race still exists, sealed in the bowels of the earth. They are but a remnant now long forgotten but who still live by their occult arts, leaving their underground retreat only in astral form to prey upon humanity through astral vampirism and possession". (5) This is obviously a different group than referred to by Leadbeater and Bailey. But Dr. Baker does not enlarge upon the subject in his book and has nothing to say anent unknown evolutions sharing this earth with humanity.

The Richard Shaver material should perhaps also be regarded as part of the occult tradition but as his writings are so generally wellknown among ufologists I limit the Shaver lore to a few comments from the Borderland Sciences Research Foundation (BSRF). In 1945 Meade Layne, founder of BSRF was given this information through a medium: "Mr. Shaver´s story of his personal experiences, though fantastic, is substantially true...Yes, the Deros exist. Yes, they have physical bodies much like your own. Yes, they inhabit underground regions. Yes, the machines exist. The Deros are degenerate descendents of Atlanteans...The situation is this. The Deros are nearly mindless, degenerate; hence they are easy prey to the astral entities". (6) The Shaver controversy could fill a library but among the believers a large part of the debate has centered on the issue whether the Deros are physical or astral. According to the quotations cited they are physical but controlled by evil entities from the lower astral plane.

INFORMATION FROM UFO CONTACTEES

Several of the wellknown contactees from the fifties and sixties mention, if only in a brief note, the existence on entities from the inner earth. Will and Everlyn Miller received this message in a group seance on June 9, 1958: "Many planets have intelligent life within them. Yours has a people, if you wish to call them that, who do not live on the surface... Many of those who live there are of the ´fallen angel´ class. They operate in blindness of their true condition in most cases and in ignorance of their former state. They are not ´devils´ by design. They do what they do because it seems to them the normal thing to do. To you, their´s is a nightmare world. Their pleasures are grotesque and horrid. Their ´prankishness´ results in ruin and death for those on the surface whom they can use, but they do what they do in ignorance. Only a few of their leaders have any conception of who they are. These would not divulge the secret for it is their source of power". (7) Perhaps this reference would equal the semi-intelligent "manipulating devas" of Bailey. The apparent stupidity of some UFO-entities, especially MIB-types, was first noted by Keel who describes sad cases where contactees have been led down the road to ruin by the "prankishness" of the entities.

The American contactee Eugen Drake claims there are three types of inner earth races: the rainbow people, some degenerate races and an old civilization below Mexico. Unfortunately I have only the German edition of his book "Visitors from Space": " Es gibt bei euch eine weitere alte Zivilisation, die unter der Erde lebt und deren Eingänge sich in Mexico, garnicht weit von Mexico-City, befinden. Diese Rasse kommt oft zur Oberfläche und mischt sich unter das Volk. Aber, ausser einigen Mystikern weiss das Volk von Mexico davon nichts". (8) I quote this paragraph specifically because I have stumbled on this Mexico-connection as a UFO-base several times. The Swedish MIB-contactee "Helge" claimed his entities had their base just outside Mexico City (9). Also George Adamski visited Mexico now and then and told of a UFO base not far from San Jose Perua, north-west of Mexico City (10).

In contactee literature frequent theme is the inner-earth mafia connection. We find this theory in the Shaver material and also in the Ashtar communications from Trevor James Constable: "Ashtar: At the core of your planet, there dwells a greatly degenerated race, an astral race, which is degenerate not so much in science, but in every moral respect as you know and understand it...On your surface they have allies who are without morals and without mercy". (11) A sequel to this theory is that inner earth people are in alliance with, or manipulated by, negative interplanetary visitors. The Mitchell sisters write in "We Met the Space People": "There are those intelligences of superior powers whom we should call fallen angels living in earth, but it is not wholly from them that the evil or bad flying saucers comes". There are others coming from "farther space systems...they are in alliance with those beings living in earth, who themselves will be forced to leave earth when peace and brotherhood is completed. The gains that these negative people obtain from their alliance with those other negatives in earth is not known by us, but it must be quite profitable". (12)

As some of the inner earth races belong to a different "mindless" evolution they can easily be manipulated by lower astral entities or anyone who knows the trick. This is often mentioned by Riley Crabb of the Borderland Science Research Foundation. His name for the manipulators is the "Lunar mafia" - evil elementals. The American contactee Howard Menger was told of a similar conspiracy where a secret group on earth manipulated "other people of your planet - people you don´t know about. People who live unobserved and undiscovered as yet. It is a kind of underground in your popular terminology". (13)

Finally, I would like to mention a fascinating story told by two coal-miners, David Fellin, and Henry Throne, who were trapped in a mine in Sheppton, Pennsylvania in August 1963. Because of an accident they were buried 390 feet deep in the earth. It took several days to get them rescued. When back on the surface again they told how, while down in the mine, suddenly out of nowhere tree men had appeared giving them a symbolic message on an orange colored plaque.

The miners described the unknown men as ruggedly handsome, about six feet three inches tall. With bronze-colored skins and slightly pointed ears. Also high cheek bones and thin lips. This description we have heard many times before, but in a slightly different context. Co-incidence, perhaps, but MIB-types have an uncanny ability to appear and disappear with total disregard for our physical laws. (14)

MORE THAN A SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM

What are we to think of these fantastic claims and experiences? Seen from a psychological/sociological perspective general acceptance of the inner earth theory could generate acute paranoia and cultural upheaval. If there are aliens among us the only way to deal with the problem is through co-operation of knowledgeable and well-trained investigators. Perhaps some of the more sophisticated intelligence organizations of the world have stumbled on this enigma and in their own way try to sort out the signal from the noise. Whatever the truth of the inner earth theory the UFO phenomenon is ample evidence that we do have intelligent interference in our society on a global scale. It is very essential to grasp that this makes UFOs more than just a scientific problem. It is very essential to grasp that this makes UFOs more than just a scientific problem. It is also an intelligence problem as the aliens obviously wish their operations to remain unknown. This is the basic message of Jacques Vallées´s "Messengers of deception". We will never solve the UFO enigma if we limit ourselves to strictly scientific procedures. Every ufologist should at least be aware of the basics of intelligence work and the use of ESP to acquire information.

Probing into these areas can of course be somewhat complicated. Suppose you really find out that there is a secret war going on on this planet, a power-struggle between esoteric groups of various motives cooperating with, or manipulating, hitherto unknown intelligences and that the UFO phenomenon is only the tip of the iceberg of this cosmic Watergate. A phenomenon cleverly used by both the alpha and omega groups. Few ufologists, not to mention the public, could take such a revelation without developing at least a mild form of paranoia. How about stamp-collecting?

Notes and references

1. Le Poer Trench, Brinsley: Secret of the Ages. London: Souvenir Press, 1974.

2. Leadbeater, Charles : The Inner Life 1. Wheaton, Ill : Theosophical Publ. House, 1967 (1st ed. 1910), p. 231.

3. Leadbeater, Charles; The Astral Plane. Madras, India: The Theosophical Publ. House, 1970 (1st ed. 1895), p. 91.

4. Bailey, Alice: A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. New York: Lucis Publ. Co., 1975 (1st ed. 1925), p. 891.

5. Baker, Dr Douglas M.: Practical Techniques of Astral Projection. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire : The Aquarian Press, 1977, p. 52.

6. Meeting on the Moon. At the Mars Stronghold. Flying Saucers 1959-1969. Vista, Calif. ; BSRF, 1969?, p.18.

7. Miller, Will and Everlyn: We of the New Dimensions. Los Angeles: Privately printed, 1959, pp. 92-93.

8. Drake, Eugen: Besucher aus dem Weltraum . Wiesbaden: Ventla Verlag, 1961, p. 44.

9. Blomqvist, Håkan: The Helge file - Men in Black in Sweden? AFU Newsletter 20, Oct/Dec 1980. p. 11.

10. Project Mexico. Booklet published by IGAP (Denmark), May 1968, pp. 4-5.

11. James (Constable), Trevor: They live in the sky. Los Angeles: New Age Publ. Co., 1958, p.52.

12. Mitchell, Helen and Betty; We Met the Space People. The Story of the Mitchell Sisters. Clarksburg, W. Va: Saucerian Press, 1959, p.8.

13. Menger, Howard: From Outer Space. New York: Pyramid Books, 1967, p. 138.

14. Schmeer, Bill: Visions Seen by Entombed Miners. Fate. March 1965, p.35.

Håkan Blomqvist

(Publicerad i AFU newsletter nr. 22, aug-dec 1981)