Fortean Traveller: Going 'out there' in SoCal CLARKE, David and CLARK, Tom Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/26407/

This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Published version CLARKE, David and CLARK, Tom (2020). Fortean Traveller: Going 'out there' in SoCal. Fortean Times (388), 74-77.

Copyright and re-use policy See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html

Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive http://shura.shu.ac.uk Fortean Traveller

to the Church of Scientology 119. Going ‘out there’ in SoCal bookshop in Santa Ana, we began our trip by visiting The Unarius Academy of Science in The two doctors, DAVID CLARKE and Tom Clark (no relation), spent a week El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego and a two hour drive south on the road in Southern seeking out UFO cults, quirky out of Los Angeles. Unarius is museums and modern ghost-hunters. an acronym for the ‘Universal Articulate Interdimensional Understanding of Science’. It was founded in 1954 as a kind of galactic consulate by Ernest and Ruth Norman who had built up a small following through their readings and channelled messages from space people (see FT158:28-33, 271:51-53). Its purpose is “to advance awareness of the inter- dimensional science of life as based upon principles of fourth- dimensional physics”. Ruth styled herself the Archangel Uriel and after the death of Ernest in 1971 she became the public face of Unarius. Her channelling work stepped up a gear, as did the production of her gowns, and she predicted a mass landing of flying saucers in 2001 on a piece PHOTOS: DAVID CLARKE DAVID PHOTOS: of scrubland near the Unarius Most people visit Southern constant and choked with the Amtrak and Metro systems. headquarters. When this California for the sunlit white traffic. It has flyovers that Before you plan your schedule, failed to happen, the Unarians beaches and Hollywood frequently soar into the sky consider whether you’d be concentrated on their past-life celebrities. But with a before slamming you down better off hiring a car – and channelling, which continued population of well over four into a NASCAR-like race to the steady yourself for a white- after Ruth’s death in 1993. million, it’s not surprising next turn-off. It is also rightly knuckle ride. With colourful murals adorning that there’s a whole host of notorious for its poor public But once you’ve gained its walls, the World Teaching options to interest the fortean transport, so it’s worth taking your bearings, SoCal is hugely Centre hosts ongoing workshops traveller. We set off with our the time to understand both rewarding. After a brief visit designed to help its students host, Professor Chris Bader – author of Paranormal America – to investigate a number of infamous alien visitations, hauntings and as much weird Southern California as we could fit into a week. We set up a base camp near Professor Bader’s office at Chapman University in a quirky little guesthouse called Ruta’s Olde Town Inn. With three rooms, as much breakfast as we could eat, and an interesting display of vintage children’s toys and ephemera, it was located in something of a ghost hotspot, with a number of haunted houses nearby. On the edge of Anaheim, in Orange County, it was a perfect base to begin to explore SoCal. And there’s the thing. Los Angeles is huge. Its freeways are TOP: Distinctive interior design in the Unarius Academy of Science in El Cajon. ABOVE: Dinosaurs still walk the Earth at the like spaghetti, its intersections Creation and Earth History Museum in Santee, where exhibits aim to prove that our planet is only 10,000 years old.

74 F T388 www.forteantimes.com

388 TRAVELLERv3.indd 74 15/12/2019 19:00 PHOTOS: DAVID CLARKE DAVID PHOTOS:

ABOVE: The , built by contactee George Van Tassell in the . BELOW: These days, you can join other visitors for a ‘sound bath’ inside the building.

understand the continuity of a number of generations the consciousness. In pioneering a dinosaurs later died out because new science of reincarnation, they weren’t well adapted to the the Unarians use ‘past life world after the flood. There’s therapy’ to translate those also a surprising assertion that lives into the written word: the Karl Marx was “(according to likes of Napoleon, Yamamoto, some) a Satanist in college”, and “the last Inca, Atahualpa” and a diorama that encourages have all been channelled children to sit with a fluffy into biographies that can be sacrificial lamb and “reflect on purchased from the bookstore. the ultimate sacrifice – the But not all past lives are as Lamb of God” in front of a scene memorable. When we asked our that does indeed depict the guide who he had been he said, sacrifice of a lamb. “Yeah, I was a Russian painter To continue with our – what’s his name? Hell, it contactee theme, we ventured doesn’t matter!” out into the searing heat of For a different sort of the Mojave Desert to visit The religious experience, just a few Integratron near the tiny town of blocks away in Santee, is the Landers, California. This unique Creation and Earth History circular structure was built by Museum. Originally opened , a former by the Institute for Creation aircraft mechanic who lived in Research, its exhibits are a house under the largely aimed at proving that – a massive seven story granite the Earth is, in fact, only around boulder – three miles drive 10,000 years old. Among other away. The subterranean ‘house’ claims, it provides ‘evidence’ beneath the rock was excavated to suggest that the world was by his buddy, German immigrant indeed created in just six days, and prospector Franz Critzer. that the Grand Canyon was But during World War II Critzer formed in a matter of weeks, was suspected of working for the and, perhaps most surprisingly, Nazis and was blown up when that dinosaurs were present on the dynamite store exploded Noah’s Ark (but, given their size, during a police siege. Van Tassel only young ones were allowed bought the property in 1947 and on board). Without any hint of opened a café but few people irony, it is suggested that over ventured out to this remote

F T388 75 www.forteantimes.com

388 TRAVELLERv3.indd 75 15/12/2019 19:00 sound. We were invited to climb into the roof space and relax on mats arranged in circles facing the curving walls. Fellow pilgrims were a mixture of young yogis and older dudes and, given the vibe, we were surprised to hear a potted history of 1950s contactee stories before the auditory experience began. We found it impossible not to feel immediately relaxed, so much so that a warning was issued to those prone to snore not to spoil the moment for everyone else. Within seconds of the first low G there was some very loud snoring from an unidentified source, but the ambience was ruined only temporarily. Sound baths are popular, so if you want to experience the delights of the Integratron we recommend you book ahead at: https://

PHOTOS: DAVID CLARKE DAVID PHOTOS: www.integratron.com/sound- ABOVE: Giant Rock, where Van Tassel once hosted his ‘Spacecraft Conventions’, drawing crowds of saucer fans eager to bath/. (For more on Van Tassel meet their Venusian space brothers. BELOW: The headquarters of the Aetherius Society, still battling to save humankind. and Giant Rock see FT109:50, 118:28-31, 135:14, 238:38-40) For those who prefer fortean place before the to turn it into a disco and today adventures of the ghostlier kind, craze arrived in SoCal. Van Tassel it is a listed building in the US SoCal is also home to a large Early in 1953, George National Register of Historic number of haunted houses. Adamski stunned the world with channelled Places. Its new owners adapted Perhaps the most unusual is his account of a meeting with it to offer ‘sound baths’ to locals the RMS Queen Mary, now the angelic pilot of a ‘scout ship’ messages and passing tourists, and the permanently docked at Long from Venus that landed near small gift shop stocks a range of Beach. Once the flagship of the Desert Center. Soon afterwards, from space flying saucer-themed clothing Cunard and White Star Line, whilst meditating, Van Tassel and trinkets. The ground floor and a former holder of the Blue began to channel messages from of the Integratron has wall Riband, the cruise liner took space people and was ‘astrally displays on local history and her maiden voyage in 1936 and transported’ to meet the Council could harness the EMF energy the saucer conventions, plus remained in service through of Seven Lights. From 1953 necessary to effectively recharge a small library of UFO books. WWII until 1967, when she was he hosted annual ‘Spacecraft the cells in our bodies as if The leader of the sound bath converted into a floating hotel. Conventions’ in the shade of they were an electric battery. ceremony makes a number of With such a distinguished past – the Giant Rock that attracted Unfortunately for Van Tassel, large quartz drums ‘sing’ so and 50 people reported to have up to 10,000 saucer fans eager this was not enough to save him that they reverberate around died on board – perhaps it’s not to hear the latest wisdom from from a heart attack in 1978. But the dome-like structure until it surprising that the vessel has Ashtar and legions of other his Integratron survived plans produces an all-encompassing picked up a few ghosts along entities with unpronounceable names. Adamski and all those who followed him to create what Greg Bishop and Adam Gorightly call the ‘Golden Age of ’ spoke here at one time or another. During the 1960s, the LSD-soaked desert scene attracted Keith Richards and Gram Parsons, who reportedly tripped out on mushrooms while skywatching at nearby Joshua Tree National Park. But the only evidence of visitors that we could find was UFO graffiti on the remains of an airstrip and some nearby rocks. Van Tassel claimed the space people taught him a method to rejuvenate the human body; using his new-found knowledge and funds provided by Howard Hughes, he designed and built a cupola-shaped structure that

76 F T388 www.forteantimes.com

388 TRAVELLERv3.indd 76 15/12/2019 19:00 DAVID CLARKE DAVID ABOVE: Perhaps the most unusual ‘haunted house’ in Southern California, the RMS Queen Mary offers regular ghost tours and paranormal investigations.

the way. Indeed, the ship has Society, an international in a flying saucer. In 1958, King be rocked by an earthquake that been voted as one of the top organisation that is dedicated moved his HQ permanently to measured 7.1 on the Richter 10 haunted places in the USA to using and spreading downtown LA and a number scale, the largest tremor to and now offers both ghost tours the teachings of advanced of his followers continue to strike the region in 20 years. and paranormal investigations. extraterrestrial intelligences. live out their lives in a small The epicentre of the quake was Opting for full immersion, Once inside, we admired the community based around King’s the town of Ridgecrest, 240km we enjoyed an entertaining immaculately tended flowers former bungalow home. The (150 miles) north of Los Angeles evening in the bowels of the ship and garden, iron gates with a shop sells Aetherius Society – which sparked fears of further staring blankly at EMF meters, shimmering star-scape engraved literature and tape recordings devastating quakes along the taking EVP recordings, and into the metalwork and a of King’s channelled messages San Andreas fault line. generally looking for any sign crystal-ball topped fountain from the Masters. All these Oblivious to the impending of ghostly activity. While our inscribed with the words contacts led King to develop threat, we did what all tourists host appeared certain that there “Service To Humanity Through his New Age religion to spread do and went off in search of the was ‘something’ on at least one Protection”. The ‘society’ or enlightenment, selflessness and Hollywood sign, then hit the of the recordings, we were less New Religious Movement ongoing action to protect the six-lane freeway back to Orange convinced. was founded in the mid-1950s Earth from a range of threats before LA’s infamous rush-hour What was undeniable, by English contactee George from outer space and, more began. however, was that two of the King, a London taxi driver who recently, climate change. But security guards were seriously began his journey as a psychic Greg Bishop notes that in 1997, Thanks to Chris and Sarah spooked and reported having medium and yoga master. After soon after King’s death, the Bader and to Carolyn Waudby. their own weird experiences reading Adamski, he swapped mass suicides of followers of We stayed at Ruta’s Old while on patrol: one young man the Great White Brotherhood the Heaven’s Gate UFO cult in Town Inn at Orange: www. in particular clearly believed for the Space People and in nearby San Diego caused both rutasoldtowninn.com/ and flew that he had heard his name 1954, while washing the dishes the Aetherius Society and the to LA by Virgin Atlantic. Ghost being called from behind. His in his Maida Vale bedsit, a voice Unarians to open up and explain Tours of the RMS Queen Mary fellow guard, a grandmother announced: “Prepare Yourself! “why they were not all like can be booked online at: www. who worked in a hospital by day, You are to become the voice of that bunch”. (For more on the queenmary.com/tours/tours- admitted there were parts of the Interplanetary Parliament!” Aetherius Society, see FT104:49, exhibits/haunted-encounters/ ship she didn’t like venturing This was the first of hundreds 270:38, 271:51-53; for Heaven’s into. “There’s good ones and of messages King received Gate, see FT99:4, 32, 100:4, 34- FURTHER READING/WATCHING there’s bad ones,” was her from the Cosmic Masters, 41) Adam Gorightly and Greg summing up of the ship’s ‘spirit’ including an extraterrestrial As it happened we chose to Bishop, ‘A’ is for Adamski: The presences. called ‘Aetherius’ who, it visit on a day that most of the Golden Age of UFO Contactees Leaving the ghosts of the later emerged, lived on Venus. congregation were making (Gorightly Press, 2018) Queen Mary behind, we took the Over the next 30 years, King their way up Mount Baldy, one Farewell, Good Brothers (Dir: obligatory trip to Hollywood. would continue to commune of the Aetherius Society’s Holy Robert Stone, 1998) But while many people walk up, with Aetherius and other Mountains. These are used for down, and around Hollywood disembodied entities from Mars, ceremonies that store spiritual 2 DR DAVID CLARKE is a Boulevard looking for the Saturn and elsewhere in our energy as part of the society’s Principal Research Fellow at names of famous stars they Solar System. On one occasion ongoing battle to save us from Sheffield Hallam University, a might recognise, just around the he was ordered to go alone to a all kinds of natural disasters. consultant for The National corner on Afton Place lies the hill in Somerset where he met Little did we know that, some 10 Archives UFO project and a Headquarters of the Aetherius the Master Jesus, who landed days after our visit, SoCal would regular contributor to FT.

F T388 77 www.forteantimes.com

388 TRAVELLERv3.indd 77 15/12/2019 19:00