Contact in the Desert – 2105
Contact in the Desert is growing into a premier Ufology event drawing thousands from around the world. When I first arrived on site in 2013 and ran into Paul Andrews, I was surprised. Then I decided to rekindle an association that started back in 1998. Paul had invited me to come work for him in LA, just off Venice Beach.
I had spectacular results in running The Prophets Conference in Phoenix the previous October.
Paul and I didn’t work out at the time back then, but it was good to see he had teamed up with Victoria to produce Contact in the Desert. It was a spectacular showing although at the worst time of year for most folks, especially the elderly. It took two years to move it to May and even this last weekend was a bit too much for many. I ran into a elderly woman using a walker who was obviously determined to be there, but had a heck of time in the heat. Perhaps moving it to a different meteor shower period – Lyrids Meteor Shower – might do, April 22-23 with a full moon on April 22.
Speaking of Victoria, Paul’s event partner, she even got into the act of sharing her experiences and understanding on one of the panels in the amphitheater. It was really great to see one of the event coordinators reveal their story. I’m sure the DVD is available through the Contact in the Desert website. All the presentations will be available soon. Ask around and get your favorites. I think you can get the whole package for around $100.
Of course there were some challenges with the event. When you have a first-some, first-served entrance into the main events it can be a challenge to get in and/or have a decent seat. There were viewing areas outdoors as well that were packed, too. With folks like Erich Von Daniken, Giorgio Tsoukalos, Jimmy Church and George Noory present there is always a crowd around them. Even at 80 (Erich had a birthday over the weekend) he still stands and delivers with a rapid-fire onset of details and facts from years of experience.
Speaking of experience, Grant Cameron and I had a wonderful, albeit short, chat on Sunday and
The Experiencer Gatherings, hosted by Alan Steinfeld and Barbara Jean Lindsey on Friday and Barbara on Sunday were especially dear to my heart. Many folks come to find corroboration and validation in their experiences, even solace in the fact that they are not alone and their concerns are heard. Each has their own interpretation and understanding depending on their level of consciousness and observation capacity. What seemed to be stressed the most through the sharings was to not be afraid and embrace the energy instead of trying to fight it.
The attendance for the event has grown by leaps and bounds, with parking strewn across the 17-acre grounds. I’m not sure of the exact attendance, but it seemed around a couple thousand. We had around five thousand come through at the Prophets Conference in 1997. Event attendance in general is down from years past, but it’s beginning to climb again. The contrast of being in the open-air instead of hotel or resort environments is refreshing, kinda of a Burning Man rendition of Ufology.
Walking around the grounds at night revealed many small groupings of folks enjoy each others
In view but not a big topic of discussion was the presence of FREE via posters Rey Hernandez left with me from the International UFO Congress in February. I’m already looking forward to next year. Thanks to Paul and Victoria and all the staff and volunteers who made this event a memorable one for thousands. In only its third year it is promising to be one of the largest gatherings in the world now. If you considered going this year, but didn’t, I’d make sure to get your ticket early next year.
This year’s gathering included Ron James and Steven Bassett. Ron and I had met several years ago when he owned Dream Theater in the Village of Oak Creek, just outside Sedona. An old friend, Swami Beyondananda, was doing a show there. Ron runs a magnificent network called iVolveTV that features material you just have to explore. He also produced the Citizens Hearing DVDs.
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