Frequently Asked Questions About Wanderers & Related Issues

I experience a sense of alienation and depression - is this something wanderers sometimes experience?

Yes, many wanderers experience alienation, and not infrequently depression, even to the extent of feeling they 'want out of this insanity,' to return to a better world, a longing for a half-remembered, more peaceful and harmonious reality. It has often struck me that my work in psychiatric facilities was much the same as being here on Earth altogether - that the entire planet is more than a little 'off' and, as in the introduction to the Ra Material, we do not feel native "to this insanity." Earth is mostly positive, despite mainstream news and an inherently negative monetary power structure, but there is a great deal of confusion due to the majority being 'neither hot nor cold', as most are not yet decidedly altruistic nor decidedly self-serving, but vascillate unpredictably. This can in turn be confusing, discouraging and wearing for wanderers as we attempt to remember and keep perspective of where we are and why, in our role here as elder siblings to Earth's adolescence.

Depression can also be understood as what is called in psychology a 'higher order defense' - defenses being a range of common psychological coping mechanisms for our experience. At one end of the spectrum of possible defense mechanisms utilized by the 3D mind are psychosis, moving through personality disorders, anxiety, to depression and on to those more pleasant as we further integrate. In a real sense, depression is a realistic response to appearances of a difficult and dire situation we feel little likelihood of being able to help more than a very little. It is also one of the later stages one may experience on the spiritual path, as one begins to feel the loss of passing patterns and identities - the 'little death' we experience as we are born into larger life. The 'long dark night of the soul.' This can be a wistful, bittersweet feeling, in the original sense of the word 'melancholy' and synonyms such as 'Weltschmerz,' meaning 'world-weariness.' Mental health counselor Jeffrey Smith wrote a wonderful book titled, Where Roots Reach for Water: A Personal & Natural History of Melancholia, that describes the place of melancholia in deepening our growth process. During periods of accelerated growth challenge, we 'hunker down,' 'dig in' and root deeper, seeking the water of life, so as to grow higher, offering others resulting greater fruits. Gradually, as we continue in service and our deepening experience and realization of the unity of all life, and garner what Buddhism calls Right View, we see all has its place, including ourselves and our purpose and, as Ram Dass wrote, "dying into service," in How Can I Help?

Past the experience of depression, which is akin to dis-illusionment (a good thing), in still 'higher order defenses,' there is the beginning of such a realistic world view, peace, and service to all. This last is what we come to when we are ready to address 'why we are here' and our purpose in this life and always.

What is my (our) purpose in being here? What do I (we) do?

This is a frequently asked question as we awaken and wonder, "Now what?" Firstly, we are here to uplift Earth and its people by bringing in spiritual energy, which we do simply by being here, and can increase as we re-member and focus our sense of connection and unity. Even if wanderers feel distressed, or that we do not remember as fully as we would like, we still bring in energy useful in Earth's uplift. We can "be willing to be willing" even when we don't feel all that willing, and as we walk forward in service, our sense of connection unity grows. This unity is both real and something we "make real." Along with bringing in uplifting energy, what the Ra Material termed the "upward spiralling light" that all beings embody and seek further, we also help through whatever talents we may individually have. Most wanderers are active in service, often in what are called the 'helping professions, such as health and teaching. I often say to someone asking who and how to help, that we help who and what is 'in front' of us. This may be literally so, as we notice nearby people and situations we can help, and this may be figuratively 'in front' of our attention, in the form of feeling called by a service opportunity at a physical distance, or in an intangible form. We can listen to our sense of this type of 'call.' Studies of 'lucky' people show that one common characteristic is their openness to opportunity. Quieting our minds helps us listen and open to hearing when we are called. We can be willing to respond and move forward into service, balancing compassion and wisdom into a unified sense, of what, when, where and to whom we are called.

See articles What Is My Purpose? How Can I Help? and Our Primary Service

Do wanderers necessarily have psychic abilities and ET contact?

Psychic and other paranormal abilities not necessarily or even usually experienced by wanderers in 3D, though some of this is not uncommon. Paranormal abilities have little to do with our purpose here, and wanderers seldom dwell on these or emphasize them. Wanderers have been born into 3D bodies, which are not 'hard-wired' for these abilities, though some experience them spontaneously, or after disciplined spiritual practice. We are here to offer opportunities for positive development in 3D ways that respect the free will of those in their 3D Earth learning cycle, rather than to be godlike. The 'starchildren' being born at this time are recent graduates into 4D who are being born in 4D bodies, to which such abilities are normal, and as they are 'native,' this does not abridge their fellows' free will. Wanderers do have an intuitive ability that helps inform our efforts in service, and this is appropriate and useful. Not many wanderers experience pronounced outward contacts, though many do experience inner communication, often without words, but rather in the sense of 'knowings' or intuition. These can develop both gradually and suddenly as our Earth experiences bring them awake, in what I call the wanderer 'coming-out' process. The disciplined spiritual traditions, such as the yogic, de-emphasize development of paranormal abilities, or siddhis, describing them as natural, but that obsession with them can be an unhelpful distraction and hindrance to progress and development.

Do wanderers recognize a fellow wanderer if they happen to meet? If yes, how? What are the signs?

I don't think wanderers necessarily recognize each other in explicit ways, though we may feel an intuitive affinity with others and realize we are able to discuss things in deeper ways with these than with most. I'd say that a sign of recognition is an overall, intuitive sense of shared understanding and purpose, often as basic as wanting to help others. This is a spiritual sense felt at deeper levels than the 3D physical/emotional/mental bodies, and may not register consciously, but rather as "I feel I know this person," what is often called a 'kindred spirit.' In fact, the Ra Material explains that wanderers are here on Earth primarily from a few higher dimensional societies who have been involved in helping the planet and its people throughout it and their development, and that many are from the 'Ra' society, which themselves (ourselves) developed some time ago on Venus. Not surprisingly, the 'Confederation of Planets in Service to the Infinite Creator' that Ra speaks of is a 'local chapter,' and so I like to say that "It's all in the family."

How do I get in contact with other wanderers?

There are some websites and discussion groups that are on this and related topics, and I list a few in my Wanderer & ET Resources page. I also often say that we are always in communication, community and communion with our home societies and others with whom we work, as indeed we are with all the creation. Again, this is a spiritual sense that is not familair to the 3D body/mind, yet which we can to some extent re-member and develop here. We can begin by being open to the possibility, and quieting our minds. There will likely not be words, but rather knowings, intuitions, gestalts, feelings of love, brotherhood, and inspiration. We are engaged while the 3D body/mind is in sleep, active in our higher bodies, regenerating and also doing service for Earth in additional ways, such as giving support and inspiration to others while they are both in 3D consciousness and sleep.

It seems like the majority of wanderers choose to incarnate in the United States - are there wanderers who choose to be assigned in other countries, including the third-world?

I'd say that 'we are everywhere', but it may be that many incarnate where they have opportunity to share information widely and to mobilize energy for service. I think many world service efforts of all kinds may be founded and staffed by wanderers. Also, it may be that communications technologies such as the internet are more accessible in developed countries, so that we hear more from wanderers there. I have heard from others in many countries, and my site visitor tracker has a geographical feature that shows the variety of site visitors' countries.

If wanderers are from 4D, 5D, and 6D and their mission is basically to help earth in its ascension, why are they not allowed to retain their memories? Their missions would have been easily carried out if they are aware of who they are and what they came here to do. As it is, most of them are as confused as the earth natives. And besides, it seems unfair to them if they're caught in 3D karma again (since they don't remember anything) after acquiring 4D, 5D, or 6D status. Millions of years of spiritual struggle is no joke, as you of course know, and they face the risk of losing most of what they learned in exchange for giving service to earth. From a 3D point of view, it looks like spiritual suicide.

'The veil of forgetting' in 3D applies to wanderers as well as those in their 3D learning cycle, and this safeguards the free will choices of both, though the lessons and choices each have are different. Those in their 3D learning cycle have opportunities to choose whether to learn love of others or love of self, while 4D wanderers have learned love of others and are applying this to learn wisdom, 5D wanderers apply wisdom so as to learn the unity of 4D compassion and 5D wisdom, and 6D wanderers are applying their learning of this unity.

Wanderers do not necessarily accrue karma while here, but rather only if we behave consciously in ways that are not compassionate. We seek to firstly, "Do no harm," as in the medical Hippocratic Oath. I think it is relatively unlikely for wanderers to behave with an intentional lack of compassion to any great degree, for even if we do not remember wholly, we have a fine sense of what is appropriate for us to be and do. We are not here to be and act in godlike ways, which would abridge the free will of those in their 3D learning cycle, but to show a way of being and acting here that is uplifting and positive in 3D ways. Our taking on 3D being *is* our service. We are here as 'student teachers', 'student gods,' being human so as to show forth, "It's like this..." We are here to offer the choice of the positive path of service-to-others that is the crux of the 3D learning cycle. We are not so much called to those who have already made that choice, the upcoming and recent 'graduates,' as they have already 'made the grade.' We are primarily called to those who, given a little help, may themselves make graduation 'this term.'

Wanderers may be seen as either having an excess of "foolhardiness or bravery" as Ra put it, and it is central to our own learning opportunity here in this our 'graduate program,' to balance compassion and wisdom into a realization of their unity, acting compassionately yet wisely so as to maximize our efforts for the greatest good. 4D compassion may act is ways not yet informed by wisdom. 5D emphasis on wisdom may seem somewhat lacking in compassion, though 5D wanderers are said to sometimes have an appropriate affinity for teaching. Most wanderers, being 6D, seek to balance their previous 4 and 5D learning - balance so finely that the seeming two are realized as one. Service to others is a perfect way to practice this balance, and while it's a tough 'internship,' or (literally!), 'residency', it offers advanced opportunities for progress. Our compassionate service can become wise, and our wisdom compassionate. In this we can experience and learn unity.

We can begin to pierce 'the veil of forgetting', in psychology, the semi-permeable barrier between the conscious and the unconscious, in psychotherapy, dreams, meditation, shamanic journeys, and other altered states, to more fully remember and reintegrate while we are incarnate. This can help us remember our whole nature and purpose while here, the curriculum of the course we signed up for this time. The veil protects the free will of ourselves and others, so we can make our choices in action, without seeing the answers at the end of the book. We only earn credit by making choices real in this way.

An interesting point discussed in The Ra Material is that in 'earlier' varieties of creations, sub-logoi (sub-logos, sub-creators, portions of the one infinite creator), created universes without the veil, and found that the creatures of these creations had little incentive to learn and to help each other, knowing they and all were one. The veil and other more complex articulations of the creator and creation were introduced in subsequent logoic creations to better articulate the creation and allow creatures to also better articulate creatively, to better learn and express themselves, the creation, and the creator.

An arm without an elbow, wrist, hand and fingers is not as articulated nor as articulate as one with these articulations, these members. With them, we can better experience and express ourselves, the creation and the creator. We can be more creative. We can use these members to help us re-member. Forgetting our trunk, the ground of being, our inherent wholeness, gives us incentive to explore and experiment, to seek. Creatures before the veil did not feel this degree of incentive to seek, to create, to articulate. The veil provides the evolutionary carrot and stick to seek - to seek the unity, communion and community we vaguely remember, and to seek each other to help and be helped in this effort. In this process we discover and articulate our unity-in-diversity. We express and articulate a more eloquent creation.

How do we even know if the concept of wanderers is true? How can we prove that ET souls are incarnating on earth as humans to help mankind?

We "offer truth without proof," as Ra explained contact phenomena, so as to safeguard free will - our offering is opportunity and choice, not proof. We cannot learn for others, or interfere with their free will choice process, but only offer information for consideration. Offering proof would be an infringement on others' free will choices, of what to think and how to act. Proof would lead to our offerings of information being taken as truth at face value, without any net gain in others' understanding, and therefore, no real advancement and spiritual upliftment. This would be of no help towards others development and possible graduation into 4D, as they would not have essentially learned anything.

As to the truth of ourselves being wanderers, again, there is no proof for ourselves or others, but there are considerations, perspectives and understandings that make reasonable objective sense. 3D Earth humans in their veiled illusion of separateness have the idea that they and the way of being and living as they know it are 'the crown of creation', an evolutionary omega, and this does not make sense in developmental evolutionary terms. It is a logical fallacy that goes against relevant established biopsychosocial evidence. That there exist forms and means of biopsychosocial development and evolution is understood and accepted by present Earth sciences. Just as we understand that a human goes through predictable developmental stages in their human lifespan, so it is reasonable to extrapolate that beings go through predictable developmental stages in the larger scale. If one can accept the possibility and probability that the present stage of human development is not the end, then one can begin to consider what the larger evolutionary stages are like. It is reasonable to suppose that further development on all levels is normal and inevitable over time.

The idea of communication between life on many developmental levels is common to all Earth psychosocial and spiritual traditions, whether seen as 'life on other planets,' or spiritual worlds, ETs or angels. And all Earth traditions also include the ideas and practices of traveling and visiting between levels or dimensions. An analogy is one of neighboring classrooms in a school, some 3rd grade classes, some for other grades, and teachers free to move and teach between these. Wanderers are 'student teachers,' not yet fully graduated and certified, but learning in an established curriculum. This is not just a metaphor, but again, a reasonably structured system to consider for wanderers, just as we see the same type of structure operating in a school curriculum, job advancement and other examples of progressive systems of advancement. There is no end to evolution, no foreclosed 'crown of creation,' but rather we always need 'CE Credits' - 'Continuing Education Credits,' in what the fields of education and library science call 'life-long learning.'

Another useful and reasonable perspective is that, as I say, most on Earth believe in reincarnation, and in the likelihood of life throughout the universe and, that taken together, these two ideas further imply that beings incarnate from many places, to many places. The remarks of many respected spiritual figures support this, such as Swami Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, who when asked, "Do souls that have been born on this earth keep reincarnating here?" said, "No, there are innumerable planets to go to."

Most wanderers have feelings of depression, isolation, and confusion. If they're experiencing these heavy emotions how are they fulfilling their mission of bringing more light into this planet? It seems like what they're experiencing is contradictory to what they're supposed to do.

We break through the 'Earth' back into the light both figuratively and literally, like germinating seeds. Our light seeking greater light and showing the way towards it. The 'dirt' and 'dust' of Earth bodily experience is also the fertilizer we make use of to grow, a very rich and fragrant mixture! There is seemingly a great mis-match or disconnect between 'here' and 'there,' between matter and spirit, as can be seen in the efforts to explain and resolve this dialectic in all Earth ethical, psychological, sociological and spiritual studies and traditions. So the discussion is not new, nor qualitatively different in the case of wanderers, from the case of those in their 3D Earth learning cycle. There is, however, a difference of degree, as the 'step-down' adjustment, as in electrical transformers, is greater for wanderers. All beings attempt to 'keep our heads in the sky and our feet on the ground' - it's just that wanderers experience a greater range and perception of this continuum or spectrum. We can 'bench press' larger spiritual weight than those in their 3D learning cycle, having been in training longer, but this still does require effort. We take on more, yet can also cope with more, as in psychological studies on individuals varying degrees of ability to cope with sustained higher than normal stress levels. Contrary to the early assumptions in such studies, findings showed some individuals are capable of coping well with sustained levels of relatively high stress. Analogies such as weightlifting, long distance running, mountain climbing and so on are useful and found across cultures. A wonderful book is Where Roots Reach for Water, by a counselor whose own depression lead him through a study of psychological, social, literary and historical melancholy. The rooting metaphor is that we root deeper as we grow through developmental challenges. 3D experience is an intensive training program. Also, as ra explains, the particular articulation of the universal creation here is 'especially vivid' - as I told my son, "The graphics are good!"

How do we know if the information received by channels from supposedly highly-evolved entities are valid, and not just projections of their (the channel's) own minds? I have to ask this because as 3D beings, we are vulnerable to misrepresentations by entities from another dimensions. Some of these entities have less than good intentions in contacting 3D people.

Yes, the Ra Material goes into this issue in depth, and Carla Rueckert also wrote an excellent book The Channeling Handbook about the importance and ways of protection, preparation and ongoing 'tuning.' Good higher contacts require balance, purity of intention, and freedom of any self-aggrandizing tendencies. the L/L Research group that received the Ra material also studied and used 'white magic' practices, such as those in books by and about The Golden Dawn, a positive esoteric society. The Ra material includes the group's experience of being approached by negative beings attempting to affect both the group members and the proceedings, with mixed results. There is also a very good book on channeling by a balanced investigative journalist, Jon Klimo, Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources that includes coverage of the L/L Research group and these issues in channeling in general.

(See links to related material at bottom of page)

I think most channelings we see are at best relatively unaffected 4D information, on 4D-relevant topics such as love and compassion, which is appropriate, considering that this is the choice and opportunity faced by those in their 3D learning cycle on Earth at this stage. Many channelers are somewhat 'detuned' by the channeler's own tendencies towards material gain, self-aggrandizement, and seeking of 'proof' and specific prophecies that abridge the free will of those engaged in their choice-making opportunities . Negative beings attempt to affect channelers by 'tempting' their self-serving tendencies, then offering material that is somewhat positive but skewed towards the negative, with messages of fear and doom.

I also think much 'channeling' is only the person's own thoughts, from whatever level the person is able to attune to. Some channelings are genuine communications from 'discarnate' 3D beings - beings still in their 3D learning cycle and between incarnations, with no higher perspective or development than most on Earth, simply not in a body at the time.

The Ra contact said that the trio forming the contact group was unusually harmonious, positive and unified in their intentions, making possible an unusually clear and higher dimensional contact. The group was unusually disciplined and conscientious in their preparations and procedures, helped in this by their caring for one another and service, Don Elkin's scientific background, Carla's dedication and spiritual devotion, and Jim McCarty's strength of purpose and will. Don Elkins was a PhD in Engineering and physics, taught university courses in these subjects, and an airline pilot, who became a ufo and paranormal researcher after an airforce pilot friend and flight-school business partner died during an famous airforce ufo case. He became the questioner in their channeling sessions as he had the background to organize the questions in a careful and methodical manner. Carla Rueckert, the medium, was a teacher and school librarian, and became Don's research assistant. Jim McCarty was also a teacher, homesteader and horticulturalist. They have never sought material gain or self-aggrandizement, never made any money from the material, and give it freely to anyone interested.

The hallmarks of genuine, positive contacts are compassion, wisdom, unity, altruistic service-to-others, positivity of message - giving hope and uplift, without engendering fear or preaching doom, and non-monetary.

How do we recognize a human being who has high spiritual vibration? What are the factors that enable him/her to possess that kind of vibration?

I'd say the same qualities that are hallmarks of positive contact - the person comes across and acts in ways that evidence positivity, compassion, wisdom, unity of all life, and selflessness of life and purpose. Persons develop these qualities by conscious, dedicated, ongoing effort - in short, dedication to helping others is the practice and evidence.

A certain website (I won't mention the name) states that people who claim that they are in communication with ETs are only imagining things, and that ET communications exist only in their minds. What can you say about this?

It is certainly possible for someone to have such illusions and delusions, and as we see the statistical distribution of the bell curve in all kinds of phenomena, we probably can see a similarity in the ET contact phenomena. The scholarly academic psychology literature (See American Psychological Association article citation & summary and related links below) has studied this, and found that on the whole, such people are above-average in intelligence and successful adjustment in society, living productive, meaningful lives. The only caveat such studies make is that some reporting contact experiences are what psychology calls 'fantasy-prone', meaning they are willing to give credence to things and beliefs that the average person may not. This is not to say such things and beliefs are untrue or harmful. This tendency is one found among many creative people, including scientific visionaries. An interesting project is psychologist Charles Tart's Archives of Scientists' Transcendent Experiences. In any case, there are established psychological measures of pathology, and those who experience ET phenomena show no more inclination to pathology than the rest of the population. Statements such as the one you mention are sweeping, unfounded generalizations, and cannot be taken seriously, as they have no studied basis. Each incidence must be taken and examined on its own merits, and the sum findings do not support such statements. A number of psychologists and related qualified persons have and are continuing to be involved in legitimate investigations of these phenomena.

"UFO abductees and contactees: Psychopathology or fantasy proneness?" Bartholomew, Robert E; Basterfield, Keith; Howard, George S. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice. Vol 22(3), Jun 1991, pp. 215-222
APA - American Psychological Association
Abstract: Psychopathological interpretations of individuals who claim contacts with extraterrestrials typify the few psychiatric evaluations of such behavior. Biographical analyses of 152 subjects who reported temporary abductions or persistent contacts with UFO occupants show that these subjects are remarkably devoid of a history of mental illness. However, in 132 cases, one or more major characteristics were found of what S. C. Wilson and T. X. Barber (1981) identified as the fantasy-prone personality (FPP). Although they appear to function as normal, healthy adults, FPPs experience rich fantasy lives and score dramatically higher (relative to control groups) on such characteristics as hypnotic susceptibility, psychic ability, healing, out-of-body experiences, automatic writing, religious visions, and apparitional experiences. In the present study, UFO "abductees" and "contactees" exhibit a pattern of symptomatology similar to that of FPPs. Thus, clinicians should consider testing UFO abductees or contactees for fantasy proneness in cases in which a particular psychopathological diagnosis is not obvious."

Channeling - About.com
Channeling - Google Directory
"The Differential Diagnosis of Close Extraterrestrial Encounter Syndrome" by Richard Boylan, Ph.D.
"DSM-IV Religious and Spiritual Problems - LESSON 3.9 Alien Encounters"
Description | Alien Encounter Experience and Psychopathology | Associated Clinical problems | Treatment | Case Examples
Wanderers, Walk-Ins & Starseeds - Google Directory
"What Is Channeling?" with Arthur Hastings & Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D.
WWW Virtual Library - Religion & Spirituality - Alien Encounter Experiences