Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is To Come

This book shows us a man, having apparently experienced both trauma and truly unexplainable events, trying his best to make sense of his life. We see a nearly heroic effort to forge a positive, or at least forward-looking, interpretation of events that seem almost hopelessly overwhelming.Throughout the Communion series of books, Strieber's core thinking has been consistent: * Something very strange has happened to me, and it seems to be ongoing. * I did my due diligence in checking whether it's all simply a psychological problem, the most likely option. The tests say I'm totally stable, if more than a bit stressed out. * If that's the case, then what really is going on? It certainly seems important in any number of ways. * I'm a writer, so I'll write about it. * It seems to be far more complex than "Aliens in space ships." Way too many pieces just don't match up with that 1940's-era judgment. * Okay, then let's avoid drawing any conclusions that would force us to dismiss big chunks of the evidence. However comfortable it'd be to have premature "certainty," we should try to keep the questions open. * In the meantime, I'll do my best to find what personal meaning I can from the experience, and share this with my readers.In some ways "Solving..." is more of the same, and this is not a bad thing. It gives new views of events we've read about in previous books while expanding upon them from the perspective of a quarter-century of experience.Yet it also reveals new experiences, along with childhood memories that the author has only recently been able to assemble into a clear narrative. The core of the book is his unique way of looking at the way the world seems to have more than a single layer -- the cumulative result of his efforts to find clear meaning out of the strangeness he's been exposed to over the decades.Strieber also makes use of his position as host of his radio program "Dreamland" to investigate other phenomena that may be related to his experiences, and ties them together as best as anyone could be expected to, being the slippery subjects that they are.Throughout the book is a thread of long-resigned disappointment and sadness concerning the ease at which so many people seem willing to not only dismiss, but belittle and show raw unkindness toward those who dare to discuss these topics -- topics that have emerged as a new taboo in our society. Strieber has had this prejudice thrown in his face for the 25 years that he's been "out," and the reader both feels compassion for his treatment, and understanding for all those others who hesitate to make their own emergences from this particular closet. His frustration at seeing this reflexive attitude stifle investigation of what may be a situation that affects us all, is palpable.If there's a part of his thinking that doesn't sit well with me, it would be his tendency to take everything very very seriously. And yet knowing the degree of trauma in his experiences, it's difficult to begrudge him this attitude. Although some of what he went through could be considered fascinating, or intriguing, or even sublime, his own lingering PTSD speaks a strong warning that caution is advised. The book is clear that while, "Yay, space brothers!" is a hopelessly reckless attitude, neither is pessimism an appropriate response.As with the other books I've read from the author, the writing is engaging and vividly imaged. He's trying to explain what's basically unexplainable, which perhaps forces a balance between clarity of thought and depth of feeling. It's a good read.Whether you have the mental flexibility to allow that this might be happening (physically or spiritually), or on the other hand you have the level-headedness to be confident that it's all simply psychological phenomena -- either way this book has value. It's a record of a man relatively isolated from his own home culture doing his best to come to terms with what he has perceived as his own experiences.If you can take the true-believer glint out of your eyes, or the condescending sneer off of your lips, you can find here a record of somebody facing an overwhelmingly personal challenge, that we can all find useful in our own times of trial.

I am not an experiencer, but think there’s more than enough evidence to prove some remarkable unknowns are interacting with us, and that humans are much more than institutional teaching drills into us.I’ve read most of Whitley Strieber’s non-fiction and watched and listened to many of his appearances. He’s smart, articulate, curious and shows enough self-doubt that casts him in a light of reason and believability.Now the But. In Chapter 5, Strieber’s alleged implant is covered. It is a bit unclear, but it reads like the implanting takes place in May of 1989. If that’s the case, why wasn’t it even mentioned in Breakthrough: Book III of the Communion Series (1995)? He does write that he wasn’t sure if it was a nightmare at first and had an impulse to reject the strangeness of it. Ok, benefit of the doubt given.The reported analysis of the object, after there was an attempt to remove it, on Page 62 reads: “A couple of days after the surgery, the pathologist telephoned Dr. Lerma and told him that the fragment was the strangest thing he had ever seen. It consisted of a metallic base with organic cilia growing out of it. He did not believe it was anything natural, or that it was known technology.”That’s a very dramatic statement. Back in 1998, in Confirmation, Strieber writes that the implant was put in on May 24, 1995. At Loc 3133 of the Kindle edition Strieber writes that Southwest Research looked at the sample in a microscope and determined: “The first sample was indeed cartilage. The second appeared to be collagen, possibly of an usual structure, but this was uncertain because the cutting involved in removing it could have caused its appearance. However, it contained crystals a few microns in size that appeared similar to Jesse Long’s much larger object. The crystals were examined under the scanning electron microscope and found to consist of calcium carbonate or possibly calcium phosphate.”The conclusion of these findings in the following paragraph reads: “But with just rather ambiguous evidence, it would be inappropriate to conclude that anything otherworldly is involved.”I reached out to Mr. Strieber a ways back and politely asked for his clarification, and he hasn’t responded. I would be delighted to see this subject and the many people who have been impacted by it, validated--with some strong evidence. It’s a mercurial phenomena, so that’s challenging. I do feel disappointed that Strieber would release such contradictory statements. I thought of him as a hero, fighting the establishment and trying to help us grow.The same players seem to heavily reference one another in the tangled area of physical evidence research. The results sometimes sound promising but often remain inconclusive and aren’t independently repeated. Anything that isn’t exciting tends to get dismissed, as is the case with Strieber’s longtime associate Linda Moulton Howe. She is again telling the story of the “Roswell sample”, even though Nicholas Reiter analyzed it for her in the 1990s and deemed it unremarkable. He later wrote in his book, The Bridges of Avalon, that it was likely the result of the Betterton-Krohl process. I presented this to her, and even though we had been having some friendly exchanges, this time I was met with silence. And yet another mainstay, Dr. Hal Puthoff, continues to look at the sample. Considering his employment by To The Stars Academy I have to wonder what is really going on. Bigelow Aerospace is supposedly looking at materials too, so it feels like we’re being coyly toyed with in this whole thing.Strieber also refers to Dr. Roger Leir a lot. As most here will know, he was extracting “implants”. His conclusions are also hotly debated. Where are these samples now? In the film Patient 17, Leir’s associate Steve Colbern, disappeared with one of Dr. Leir’s final extractions, before final conclusions could be made. Supposedly he’s back in touch with the filmmaker, Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell, and they’re supposedly still trying to analyze it.I wonder what arrangements Strieber has made for his ear/implant. If I had something of a truly astounding nature in me I’d bequeath it to Dr. Jacques Vallee or another esteemed academic. I’d also leave them enough money so that it could be tested to the point of reaching a firm conclusion. I think Dr. Vallee is one of the most trustworthy professionals in this field. I feel he’s always been the right blend of curious and cautious, philosophical and scientific. He’s been working on such samples again, so I hope he’ll be sharing some findings of significance.In light of the way Strieber’s narrative about the implant got more exciting with time, I am highly suspicious of the way his visitor accounts evolved. The recovered childhood memories that emerged as books progressed now look like a plot device to me.This broad subject is reaching the mainstream again. It’s going to be scrutinized by discerning minds, as it emerges from an unregulated subculture. I hate to think of any glaring contradictions that will be fodder for debunkers, fearful academics, a suspicious public, and a shady government. If there’s evidence to clear this up, I’d be happy to look at it. Until then, I’m not purchasing anymore Strieber content.

This book continues Whitleys journey trying to make sense of the events of 1985 and the possible connection to the other side beyond the veil.

This is a brilliant book, and takes us further than and deeper than Strieber's previous books.

Whitley has written this book to sort out his own mind as well as record various theories and experiences on possible aliens and mystical events (spiritual or otherwise), that could also be from the future in time travel or an alternative universe. The ideas are sound, I do not discard anything; however, I have an open mind. But the reading of this book jarred. The style is odd; he keeps going off at a tangent and intertwining a current tale or hypothesis with sometimes a different topic. I found it confusing and had to re-read many pages to make sense, but then the American English did not help.Whether Whitley has had the experiences in reality or spiritually or imaginary is up to the individual reader to decide.His absorption with other worldy visitors in genuine and he tries to convince the reader that there is a cover up on aliens, crop circles and ufos. His credibility and his convictions are up to you to judge. This will appeal to those interested in conspiracy theories and spotting things in the night sky ... or in the bedroom in the dark! .

Whitley Strieber's experiences are fascinating. Now we're waiting for the aliens to land and help us out of all our planetary problems!