Passport to Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers

If you are really into the UFO experience this is one of the great books on the subject. Comprehensive, informative, with all the decimation to back it up.

I finished this book not knowing exactly what Mr. Valle actually believes himself - if indeed one can have a single belief about this phenomena. He doesn't, if I didn't misinterpret, believe the traditional view of the scientific/materialist UFO community that holds that these are 'metallic' craft constructed on alien world(s) in some nearby star-system piloted by biological or android creatures, that have come to the vicinity of earth for any number of different purposes: Scientific inquiry, trade, military conquest, missionary work, etc. The sheer number of such visitations and their incoherent behavior casts this interpretation in the light of the extremely myopic, even absurd and a makes a mockery of actual experiences. I appreciate that Mr. Valle took the time and had the interest to describe by way of comparison, the historic context as recorded in world-wide folklore: Fairies, gremlins. dwarfs, angels, sprites, daemons, (skinwalkers) , etc. and their reported appearances and behavior respecting humans over the course of perhaps thousands of years. My personal view is closest to that of Jung, i.e., that these sightings, craft, inhabitants, ,human interactions, are on balance physically real 'psychic projections' or products emanating from the unconscious, i.e., actual materializations, the origins of which lies within the realm of the esoteric, the paranormal, the mystical , the magical, the impossible. Years ago Jeffrey Mishlove's "Thinking Allowed" featured an interview with Terrence McKenna entitled (I believe) Aliens and Archetypes. It is worth watching.

This book is a lot! It is scientific and well researched, it requires someone who wants to get into the sciencey aspect, but it also gets into some very weird aspects of the paranormal and shows how over the years, demons, fairies, UFO and alien encounters share similar things and how over the years things may have evolved with understanding of humans from ancient times into the more modern times. It's good, but it isn't for everyone. I admit, I didn't get too far into it cuz it has a lot to go through!

Jacques Vallee moved on to a new phase in his thinking with this book. From ETH and “nuts and bolts,” to something much more complex and mysterious (while not discounting entirely ETH or “nuts and bolts” views), Vallee explored new themes and went where most ufologists (and government officials) fear to tread. The problem restated: Would alien beings really travel light years just for a brief visit to take a few plant samples, to play peekaboo with some hapless witnesses and military jets, to say and do bizarre and silly things no sane person would believe, only to disappear in a flash without properly announcing themselves or meeting the President on national tv? Really? Or are these beings denizens of some other dimension, or even our own planet? Could it be that they are up to something entirely different? Why do they seem so furtive, so mischievous, and so shy (most of the time)? Why are they sometimes malicious, sometimes benign, and sometimes benevolent? Why not just come out of the shadows and reveal themselves openly? There must be some powerful reason why this is so, some rule or commandment that even they dare not break. Vallee explains his thesis: “I have not written this book for such people [the materialist], but for those few who have gone through all this and have graduated to a higher, clearer level of perception of the total meaning of that tenuous dream that underlies the many nightmares of human history, for those who have recognized, within themselves and in others, the delicate levers of imagination and will not be afraid to experiment with them.” (page 156). Why can’t our magisterial scientists get to the bottom of this mystery? Why can’t they answer our questions? Why do they and their government paymasters refuse to recognize openly the alien presence among us? Is it that they are desperate to maintain their stranglehold on civilization and their power over the human mind? Basically, Vallee contends that “they” have always been with us, around us, beneath us, and above us. They seem to take many forms and to wear many masks. Perhaps this earth is just as much theirs as it is ours, if not more? As far back in time as anybody cares to trace the evidence, and in every historical age, there are stories, reports, testimonials, myths and legends, and sacred texts, which contain material which betrays their presence and activities. Vallee includes a cross section of evidence from ancient to modern examples. He contends that each historic age has had its magic and miracles, its poltergeists, fairies, leprechauns, pixies, and djinns, ghosts and goblins, to say nothing of gods and goddesses, all interacting with humans in various ways. There have allegedly even been ancient flying machines, especially well described in the Vedic literature of India as “vimanas.” Such flying machines have been observed in other historic ages, e.g., the 1890’s in the United States, and right up to our own time, though they suspiciously seem to morph to just outpace the earthly technology of the time period in question. When seen in the light of long ages of time and the tales time tells us, an awesome and mysterious presence unfolds before us. Though we are not privy to its many secrets, we can observe carefully, and we can sense things. We can look beyond our noses, beyond the material, beyond the “nuts and bolts.” We can use our intuition. We can expand our scientific thinking to take UFOs into account. But the authorities and scientists in our society work feverishly to stop us from doing this. As Vallee complains: “What is the use of pursuing a story of science if it cannot be applied to the rational analysis of such phenomena? In a time when the young are encouraged to follow with enthusiasm the progress of space exploration, why should the subject of life in the universe be a forbidden topic?” Vallee also takes most ufologists to task for their simplistic thinking, i.e., that “Unidentified flying objects…. leave physical traces and behave like space probes. It is obvious to them the UFOs are scientific devices having nothing to do with the mystico-religious context of medieval apparitions, and nothing to do with the creatures studied by Kirk, since—as we have just seen — these latter appear and vanish at will.” Vallee theorizes that “This view is no longer tenable.” (pp. 75-76). What, exactly, are UFOs? Apparently, that is not for us to know. Someone in the vast cosmological hierarchy has decided to deny us that knowledge. The manifestations of UFOs and other paranormal phenomena among us, however brief or bewildering, are like displays of power meant to teach (or program?) us, perhaps to humble us, certainly to mystify us. They also seem to be reflections of some timeless connection with human beings. The trouble is that most of us live in a state of amnesia. We cannot remember this connection, nor can most of us face it rationally when it is thrust upon us. To complicate matters, our materialist rulers stand firmly in the way of our recovery from this amnesia. They also play tricks on us quite as much as do the UFOs. This book will remain a useful tool and a milestone in ufology for a long time to come, a sort of “scripture,” if you will, created for intrepid souls, to correct their misconceptions and to help them to take the first halting steps to greater knowledge.

Impressive data, very organized, well written, easy to follow. I look forward to his next book. One species does stand out, but there is more then one. Can wait to see the Truth.

It's a good informative book. That gave a non-judgmental look at both the UFO and fairy phenomenon. It's a very good read.

The first half or so is fantasy (wee people, Leprechauns, etc) & how they might relate to or be the UFO phenomenon—not my cup of tea. Sort of like saying magic & UFO’s are the same. The redeeming value is the last half or so which is a very brief case history of various UFO sightings. A lot of bone, not much meat for these cases. The problem with so many sightings is that they have to be accepted at face value & it would be so easy to make up a lot of case histories. Many cases mentioned in other books are not shown here & there seem to be a higher percentage of creatures in these case histories with claws instead of hands.

Carino, ma pensavo che fosse un libro un po' più ricco di informazioni a dire la verità.

Fascinating book, I enjoyed it. Good reference to sightings and folklore. The elf, gnome and fairy ring tales are fascinating.

Synopsis: This was my first Jaques Vallee book I have read and it did not disappoint. In this book, Jaques compares many modern day (for the time as this was written in 1969) UFO sightings to folklore, religious lore and myths of the past. He presents the argument that many similarities can be drawn between the UFO phenomenon and stories of old from flying objects, similar entities, gases, food and interactions. He paints this canvas with no attempt to come to a conclusion that will settle your mind, instead he leaves you thirsty to explore more that this narrow section of ufology has to offer. Jaques does state many of the cases are hard to substantiate due to time that has past or the credibility of oral tradition, but he is frank about this fact and wishes to more so look at the bigger picture of similarities. The book ends with a vast account of UFO reports from 1864-1968. There were many cases I was not aware of within this book. I could not put this book down just due to the sheer curiosity of what the next case will be. The Good: The second chapter focused on interactions involving food, absolutely amazing. The Bad: The warning that not all cases are substantiated comes at the very end just before the chronological ufo reports. This could have come much earlier in the book (as in lead with this so there are no pretenses and no claims of being mislead).

Esse título deixa de lado o lugar comum e busca oferecer as perguntas ao invés das respostas para o fenômeno UFO. Parece desencorajados, mas acredite: não é. Um detalhe muito importante é que embora o livro tenha mais de 350 pág, os capítulos vão até a pág 175. O restante do livro é um compêndio com uma lista de 900 casos do fenômeno UFO. São pequenos textos de 4 ou cinco linha cada com eventos entre de 1850 a 1967.

30年ぐらい前にペーパーバック版を購入し、従来のUFO解釈とは全く違う視点が展開されており、以降複数回読み返していましたが、だいぶ傷んでしまったのでこの際ハードカバーを購入しようと思いました。アメリカから購入するのはバカバカしいぐらい高かったのでアマゾンで安価に購入できて満足です。 表面がパラフィンのような加工のしてあるカバーで耐久性がありそうです。しっかりとした装丁なので、この本を気に入っている人は必須な版かなと思いました。以前購入したものと全く違う表紙絵なのもいいですね。気に入りました。