Paper short abstract:

In this talk, I consider a ritual called “CE-5” that began in Peru in the 70s but has since gained traction in the US and now around the world. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Japan and Canada, I argue that CE-5 is a ritual of cosmological transition.

Paper long abstract:

In 1972, Dr. Allen Hynek, a professor of astronomy at Northwestern University, classified three levels of close encounters people report having with unidentified flying objects: First, a visual sighting of a UFO less than 150 meters away; second, the UFO is observed to have had a physical or physiological effect on the immediate environment; and third, an animated entity is observed either operating the UFO or in the surrounding environment. Later ufologists would tack on two additional types of close encounters. A close encounter of the fourth kind is classified by abduction into the UFO. The fifth entails communication between human beings and the operators of UFOs, whether they be extraterrestrials, time-travellers, or interdimensional beings. In this talk, I consider a ritual called “CE-5” that began in Peru in the 70s but has since gained traction in the US and now around the world. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Japan and Canada, I argue that CE-5 is a ritual of cosmological transition. Through skyward meditation and intentions directed toward interspecies telepathy with the operators of UFO, CE-5 provokes in participants a unique form of cosmic consciousness in which the universe is viewed not as dead empty space, but as an animate expanse, teeming with intelligent life. This perspective, nurtured by CE-5 ritual practice, adds a cosmic dimension to participants’ views of self and society at home, here on Earth.