Contact in the Desert feat. in TLC Magazine
With joshua trees as the backdrop and the Milky Way visible at night, Contact in the Desert1 isn't anything less than spectacular. CITD is a conference on all things mysterious nestled just outside Joshua Tree National Park at the JT Retreat Center, (formerly known as the Institute for Mental Physics.) The conference is set up to make you wonder, dig a little deeper and question things that don't make sense to you; and it does not disappoint.
CITD boasts varying degrees of pioneers and professionals in their field; from ancient civilizations to ufologists, contact to disclosure; there is something for everyone. You don't have to believe in aliens (although 'extraterrestrials' is what I'm told they preferred to be called) to attend, all you have to come with is an open mind and a lot of water.
Scientists, researchers, conspiracy theorists, believers, and critical thinkers all attend and gather together to soak in the information from the presentations. Many speakers have risked, and sometimes lost, their reputations standing up for what they believe in. They come armed with years of research from behind a desk and out in the field - made manifest into irrefutable evidence that makes us search the cobwebbed corners of our mind for the questions we used to ask in school before getting our curiosity 'learned' out of us.
CITD was its most highly attended in its 5 year history proving that people are riddled with questions and thirsty for answers. We are not satisfied with the lies on TV and the glazing over of life's incredible mysteries. All we really know is that there's a lot that we don't know. Where is the birthplace of humanity? (It's not what you think!) How old are homosapiens? (A San Diego discovery last month made national news 2!) Who was the first tribe to settle in Central America? North America? Are there civilizations lying at the ocean floor waiting to be discovered? (The ocean is really big after all, and haven't we explored more outer space then the ocean floor?) Why do the various pyramids all over the world all match? (When they allegedly have no similar ancestors or way of communication?) If you think your schooling has taught you the 'answer' to these questions, you are surely mistaken. If CITD doesn't change your mind it will surely open it.
We - TLC Creative Director, Amelia Hall and I - were able to connect with (and hug!) Graham Hancock.3 He is (my hero) and what I consider (and most probably agree) the modern day Indiana jones. He has uncovered so much about ancient civilizations we owe a lot of our newfound knowledge to people like him, and other pioneers such as Robert Bauval, author of the Orion Mystery, John Anthony West, among others.
If Hancock’s name sounds familiar, it is - you may have heard of him as a few years ago the infamous Ted censored his talk - alongside famous Cambridge trained biologist and bestselling author Rupert Sheldrake.4 The realization that Ted censors talks became an uproar on the internet and around the world - they both blew up in popularity and became household names. If you haven't seen Hancock5 or Sheldrake’s6 banned talks, I suggest you watch them. They propose life altering, paradigm shifting theories (which, of course, is why they were banned). If you'd like to see Rupert Sheldrake this year - he'll be speaking at IONS in July in Oakland, CA.7
Questions that they propose threaten the status quo. The questions I listed above threatens the status quo. CITD threatens the status quo. If you've ever looked at life and thought 'there must be more to this' then you are a future attendee of CITD.
We can’t wait to see you next year.
Sources:
1. http://contactinthedesert.com/
2. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/apr/26/mastodon-bones-found-near-san-diego-freeway-rewrit/
5. https://youtu.be/Y0c5nIvJH7w
6. https://youtu.be/JKHUaNAxsTg
7. http://noetic.org/community/conference