Our bodies are bustling ecosystems, teeming with a vast community of microorganisms known as the microbiome. These microbes living inside us play crucial roles in our health and well-being. While older estimates suggested these microbes outnumbered our own cells by a significant margin, more recent research indicates a ratio closer to one-to-one. This means we host roughly 39 trillion microbial cells, a number nearly equal to our approximately 30 trillion human cells. When we consider the 8 billion people on Earth, the sheer scale of this microscopic life is staggering. The importance of microbes living inside us cannot be overstated as they affect various bodily functions.
A Universe Within: The Cellular Perspective
From the perspective of a single cell within our body, the human host is a universe. We hold significant sway over their existence. When we eat, we provide nutrients to our cellular and microbial populations, highlighting again the importance of microbes living inside us. When we rest, many of our cells undergo periods of repair and reduced activity. Conversely, our actions can have devastating consequences for them. While the act of cutting our hair doesn’t shed a billion living cells as is sometimes claimed – hair is primarily composed of dead, keratinized cells – our bodies are in a constant state of renewal. We shed tens of thousands of skin cells each day, and many of our internal cells have remarkably short lifespans.
The Constant Cycle of Life and Death
This constant cycle of cellular birth and death is fundamental to our health. Microbes living inside us also contribute significantly to balancing this cycle. The cells lining our gut may live for only a few days, while red blood cells circulate for about four months. In contrast, some neurons in our brain can last a lifetime. The majority of our cells have a pre-programmed lifespan, a vital mechanism encoded in our DNA to ensure the health of the entire organism.
Immortality’s Price: The Anarchy of a Cancer Cell
However, this intricate system can falter. Should a cell defy its genetic programming and bypass its designated endpoint, it can achieve a form of immortality. By reactivating mechanisms like the production of the enzyme telomerase, which protects the ends of chromosomes from degrading with each division, a cell can begin to multiply without the normal checks and balances. This unchecked, relentless proliferation is the hallmark of cancer. In this sense, a single cell’s bid for eternal life can pose a mortal threat to the entire cellular community that constitutes a human being. Understanding how the microbes living inside us interact with cells can inform treatments and preventions.
A Symphony of Trillions: The Wonder of Our Inner World
Ultimately, to contemplate our cellular nature is to be filled with wonder. We are living, breathing universes, sustained by the coordinated efforts of trillions of microscopic lives. It is a profound and beautiful symbiosis that makes our own existence possible.
• Cosmos = the whole universe (all planets, stars, and space) • Polis / polites = city / citizen
Put them together and you get “citizen of the universe.”
2. A quick trip back in time
Imagine ancient Greece around 350 BCE. Most folks are fiercely loyal to their own city-state: Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and so on. One day the famously blunt philosopher Diogenes is asked where he comes from. Instead of naming his hometown, he shrugs and says, “I am a citizen of the world.” Mic drop. With that one line he tells everyone their local labels don’t impress him; he belongs everywhere and nowhere at once.
A few decades later the Stoic thinkers (think of them as the practical philosophers of the day) grab that idea and run with it. To them, every person is part of one giant family ruled by reason and nature’s laws. Under their view, treating a foreigner badly makes as little sense as mistreating your own brother or sister.
Diogenes is asked where he comes from.
3. Fast-forward to today.
Ask people now what “cosmopolitan” means, and you’ll hear things like:
• “Someone who’s traveled a lot.” • “Speaks a few languages.” • “Feels at home in New York, Tokyo, or Nairobi.”
All true. Modern life adds trains, planes, and the internet to the mix, so being “worldly” is easier than ever. But the old, bigger sense – citizen of the universe – still lurks beneath the surface, and it matters more than you might think.
4. Why the cosmic angle still matters
• Perspective. Step outside on a clear night, look up, and remember Earth is one tiny rock out of billions. Problems that seem huge – an annoying neighbor, a traffic jam – shrink a little.
• Common ground. Whether you’re in Brazil or Bangladesh, people laugh, worry about their kids, and enjoy tasty food. Seeing yourself as “cosmic kin” makes it easier to respect those different from you.
• Shared responsibility. If we all ride on the same blue marble, trashing the oceans or overheating the planet hurts the whole crew. A cosmopolitan mind-set nudges us to think twice before saying, “Not my problem.”
5. Signs you’re becoming cosmopolitan
You’re curious about how other people live, not judgmental.
You can enjoy sushi tonight, tacos tomorrow, and Ethiopian injera on Saturday – no food snobbery, just enthusiasm.
You listen to news from outside your own borders.
You’re comfortable saying, “I don’t know – tell me more.”
6. How to grow your cosmic citizenship badge
• Travel if you can, but if not, let books, films, or online forums be your passport. • Learn a few phrases in another language. Even “hello” and “thank you” go a long way. • Swap stories with immigrants or exchange students in your town. • Look up at the stars once in a while; download a stargazing app and find Mars or the Andromeda Galaxy. Nothing makes the universe feel real quite like spotting another galaxy with your own eyes.
• Get involved in causes that cross borders – climate action, global health, disaster relief. Small donations or volunteer hours matter.
7. A quick reality check
Being cosmopolitan doesn’t mean ditching your roots. Loving your hometown team or your grandma’s cooking is perfectly compatible with caring about the rest of humanity. Think of it as expanding the circle, not erasing it.
8. The takeaway in plain English
“Cosmopolitan” isn’t just a fancy word for someone who drinks cocktails at airport lounges. It’s a 2,000-year-old reminder that we all share the same cosmic address. Whether we’re talking about neighborhood barbecues or distant galaxies, we’re traveling this journey together. See yourself as a citizen of something bigger, act like it, and the world – and maybe even the universe – becomes a friendlier place.
The Hollywood Disclosure Alliance Documentary, Secrets in the Spotlight, Now Playing on Amazon; A Look at the Just Concluded 2025 MUFON Symposium; The United Experiencers Initiative Launches; Updates from The New Paradigm Institute; Curious Research Expands its Mission; And Introducing The WOW! Signal Book Review! All this plus another intriguing UAP Photo of the Week.
For millennia, we have stared into that inky blackness, into that glittering cosmic abyss, and we have felt a connection. It’s a profound human impulse. To see the stars and wonder: are we a part of that? Are our lives, our destinies, entwined in those celestial patterns? This is the heart of astrology – an idea as ancient as it is persistent.
Sagan’s Twin Paradox
Carl Sagan took a look at this in his landmark series Cosmos. He was a master at applying simple, elegant logic to big claims. He posed a challenge – a beautiful, scientific thought experiment: identical twins.
Born minutes apart in the same place, their astrological charts are virtually indistinguishable. If astrology holds true, their lives should follow similar paths. Yet, as Sagan pointed out, their destinies often diverge wildly. One becomes an artist, the other an accountant. One is happy, one is not. For him, this was proof that astrology didn’t work. Case closed?
Well, not so fast. The universe is always more subtle and interconnected than we first assume.
The Twist in the Tale: Twins Reared Apart
Science, you see, keeps moving. After Sagan’s series, from 1979 to 1999, a groundbreaking study began: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. And the results… wow. They are just jaw-dropping.
They found pairs of identical twins, separated at birth, who met for the first time as adults and discovered… well, uncanny similarities. The most famous are the “Jim Twins.” Separated at four weeks old. Reunited at 39.
Both had married women named Linda, divorced them, and remarried women named Betty. Both had a son named James. Both owned a dog named Toy. Both drove the same car, smoked the same cigarettes, and even vacationed at the same beach in Florida.
So, what’s going on here? Sagan’s argument was that twins born at the same time have different fates. But here we have evidence that twins born at the same time can have astonishingly similar ones, even when they don’t know each other.
The Ghost in Our Genes… and in the Cosmos?
The mainstream scientific explanation is, of course, genetics. That this is the power of our DNA: the double-helix code as a staggeringly powerful blueprint for who we are. And not just our eye color, but also our temperaments, preferences and predispositions. It’s a fantastic and simple explanation.
The Rise of Epigenetics
But a new field called epigenetics shows that’s not the whole story. Think of your DNA as a giant cookbook. Epigenetics is the master chef who decides which recipes to use based on environmental cues. The cookbook itself doesn’t change, but based on the environment – stress, diet, toxins, love, cold, heat – the chef decides which recipes to use. It adds a little molecular bookmark here, a sticky note there, telling this gene to be loud and that gene to be quiet.
The Epigenetic Chef
This is why one identical twin can get asthma and the other doesn’t. Their genetic cookbook is identical, but their chefs have made different choices based on different life experiences.
This brings us to the modern case for astrology. If the living cell is an “intelligent system” responding to its environment… what if that environment includes the cosmos? What if the “chef” is, in some small way, listening to the planets?
The Question of Mechanism
Okay. It’s a fascinating idea. So let’s test it.
Scientists have to ask: What is the force? What is the physical mechanism by which Mars – a planet whose gravitational pull on you at birth is less than the pull of the doctor delivering you – can reach into the nucleus of your cell and flip a specific epigenetic switch? Is it gravity? Electromagnetism? The strong or weak nuclear force? Which one? You have to show that a force exists.
Chaos Theory: The Butterfly Effect
How can a distant planet have any effect? This is where we must consider one of the most profound discoveries of modern science: chaos theory.
We’re all familiar with its central metaphor: the “butterfly effect,” where the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas. The point is not that the butterfly has the power of a tornado, but that in a complex, dynamic system (like weather, or a human life), a minuscule, barely measurable change in the initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes down the line.
The Lyapunov Exponents
The Lyapunov Exponents
The moment of birth is the ultimate set of “initial conditions” for a human life, the first flutter of possibility, setting the delicate initial conditions that ripple through a life. Like butterfly wings in chaos theory, even the tiniest variations can orchestrate profound destinies.
The Butterfly Wings
This brings us to the modern case for astrology. If the living cell is an “intelligent system” responding to its environment… what if that environment includes the cosmos?
Newsflash: planets already affect life on Earth. Tides, seasons, your vitamin D levels – all cosmic puppetry.
Both gravity and electromagnetic forces can impact genetics by influencing how genes are expressed and how cells function. For example, microgravity conditions can change gene expression patterns related to cell structure, metabolism, and immune responses. Similarly, electromagnetic fields – especially magnetic fields – can also cause changes in gene activity and cell behavior, possibly affecting epigenetic modifications.
For instance gravity: Blaber, E. A., Fogle, H., Dvorochkin, N., Naqvi, S., Lee, C., Yousuf, R., … & Almeida, E. A. (2015). Microgravity induces pelvic bone loss and fatty liver through epigenetic mechanisms. PLoS ONE, 10(4), e0124396.
For instance electromagnetic fields: Cui, Y., Park, J. H., & Miyamoto, Y. (2017). The effect of electromagnetic fields on the epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(12), 2736.
Planetary Gravity as an Initial Condition
The old rebuttal that the doctor’s gravitational pull is stronger than Mars’s is a failure of imagination. It’s not about raw power. Framed by chaos theory, the subtle gravitational state of the entire solar system at the moment you are born doesn’t need to be strong; it just needs to be the initial “flap of the wings” in the incredibly complex system of your life. We have proof that these tiny forces have huge effects over time: science has confirmed that Mars’s gentle, rhythmic tug is enough to alter Earth’s orbit and drive a 2.4-million-year climate cycle. If that’s not a butterfly causing a planetary-scale tornado, what is?
Infant ponders Mars
The Moon: Its gravitational pull is so powerful it moves entire oceans, creating the daily tides. This is a tangible, physical force exerted upon the planet and every living thing on it, a rhythmic pulse that has shaped coastal life for eons.
The following table provides a comprehensive comparison of the maximum possible tide-generating force of the Sun and all planets relative to the Moon:
External forces of gravity on Earth
Planetary Electromagnetism as an Initial Condition:
We know planets are not inert. They are dynamic worlds broadcasting unique energetic signatures. Jupiter and Saturn emit powerful radio waves detectable on Earth. These are not brute forces, but tiny variations in the initial electromagnetic environment – part of the unique cosmic “weather pattern” you were born into. They are another set of butterfly wings, flapping at the precise moment your own complex system began its journey.
The Sun: Its cycles govern our seasons, our climate, and the circadian rhythms that are hard-wired into our biology. The Sun’s immense electromagnetic energy literally fuels our world and directly impacts Earth’s magnetic shield. Its influence is total.
The Radio Planets
The following chart details the magnetic moment of each planet – a measure of the magnetic field’s overall strength – relative to Earth’s.
External electromagnetic forces on Earth
Jupiter‘s powerful magnetosphere accelerates charged particles to incredible energies, producing intense radio waves. These “decametric” radio bursts are so powerful that, at certain frequencies, Jupiter can be the brightest object in the sky after the Sun.
Saturn is a source of intense radio emissions, much like Jupiter. Its auroral radio waves, known as Saturn Kilometric Radiation (SKR), are similar to Jupiter’s but are not powerful enough to be detected by radio telescopes on Earth. However, Saturn produces another, more powerful type of radio signal from massive lightning storms in its atmosphere. These signals, called Saturn Electrostatic Discharges (SEDs), are at least 10,000 times stronger than emissions from terrestrial lightning and have been successfully detected by ground-based radio telescopes.
Uranus and Neptune: The Voyager 2 spacecraft confirmed that both Uranus and Neptune are “radio planets” with complex radio emissions generated by their magnetic fields. However, their radio signals are considerably weaker than those from Jupiter and Saturn. While a tentative detection of Uranus was reported by an Earth-orbiting satellite in the 1970s, the signal was difficult to distinguish from terrestrial interference.
The other rocky planets, Venus and Mars, do not have significant global magnetic fields and are not known to be sources of noticeable radio emissions. However, you will hear radio waves coming from those planets in the following recording:
Our Universe Is Not Silent
All planets in our solar system emit waves, gravitational and electromagnetic. NASA recorded radio waves from planets with the help of spacecraft. They then converted the signals into the audible range of human hearing (20-20,000 Hz). So, you can listen to all planet sounds from space.
Listen to the radio sounds of the planets in our solar system.
A New Cosmic Perspective
I have presented here a number of arguments of why astrology may actually have a scientific basis. Chaos theory explains how small initial differences can have a huge effect. Sagan’s initial argument against serious astrology, is shown to be inconclusive.
There’s a case to be made for the infinitesimal influence of the planets on our DNA, magnified through the Lyapunov exponents.
And I haven’t even touched on the possibility of quantum entanglement of our atoms with the cosmos.
Comparison of similarities between brain astrocyte cells and the cosmic web.
The universe is connected. We are stardust. Now that is a cosmic perspective.
Empirical Evidence
The one characteristic that sets astrology apart from science, and which is cited consistently by sceptics, is the lack of empirical evidence. There are plenty of anecdotes, but quantifiable repeatable evidence?
Not so much, apparently.
Of course, I could tell you that I worked in Brussels in 1989 for a NATO defence contractor, and the manager asked me my star sign, and I told him “Aquarius”, upon which he shook his head and told me: ” I knew it. We have 120 employees here, and 80 of them are Aquarius”. Enough with the anecdotes!
I searched around a bit and found this study in a Postgraduate Medical Journal:
They surveyed 1,923 physicians in the UK and uncovered some surprisingly specific, and sometimes quirky, correlations between their zodiac signs, personality traits, and the medical fields they chose.
The patterns they found are intriguing: Physicians specializing in Care of the Elderly were more likely to be Geminis, known for their communication skills, than Cancers (16.1% vs 2.3%).
Heart of a Lion: Cardiologists, who deal with the heart, were far more likely to be Leos. In the study, 14.4% of cardiologists were Leos, compared to just 3.9% who were Aries.
A Womb with a View: Obstetrics and Gynecology was dominated by Pisces. A full 17.5% of OB-GYNs were Pisces, while there were zero doctors in that specialty who were Sagittarius.
The Practical Capricorn: Those in General Medicine were more likely to be Capricorns (10.4%) than their Aquarius colleagues (6.7%).
Addendum The Cosmic Irony of Sagan’s Birth Chart
I really wanted to do a horoscope of Carl Sagan:
Birth Information: Name: Carl Edward Sagan Date of Birth: November 9, 1934 Time of Birth: 5:05 PM (17:05:00) Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
I hit a road block because there is no reliable or verifiable source for his exact birth time. Carl Sagan never spoke about it, nor have his relatives.
An Unverified Source
Carl Sagan’s birth time supposedly was 17:05:00, with the singular source cited as ‘765 Notable Horoscopes‘ on the AstroSage website. ‘Notable Horoscopes’ is a book by B.V. Raman, a respected figure in Vedic astrology. This provided an adhoc time and a traceable source: https://www.astrosage.com/celebrity-horoscope/carl-sagan-birth-chart.asp
A Product of Circular Reasoning
But this raises a number of red flags: his birth time is traced back only to a single origin: a compendium of horoscopes created for the practice of astrology, not for historical accuracy. The claim is contradicted by the complete absence of this information in all reliable records, including extensive biographies, institutional archives, Sagan’s personal papers, and accounts from his family.
The specificity of the time suggests it is not a recorded fact but a “rectified” time, calculated backward to fit a preconceived astrological model, rendering it a product of circular reasoning.
The existence of an unverified astrological birth time for Carl Sagan is not merely a piece of biographical trivia; it is a profound and telling irony.
The sole claim for his time of birth -17:05:00- is uncorroborated, without merit, and should be dismissed as a biographical fact.
I was peeved by this. There’s no record of Carl Sagan’s birth time? I decided to dig deeper.
The Search for the Certificate
With the help of “Upwork”, a professional genealogist and the librarian of the Library of Congress I tracked down Carl Sagan’s birth announcement.
It was deposited in the Seth McFarlane collection. But unfortunately the hospital didn’t write the time of Carl’s birth down. And his birth certificate is sealed from the public until 2035, or some such (100 years after his birth).
An impression of Carl Edward Sagan’s birth announcement.
And there you go. Of course Sagan – the man who spent decades debunking astrology – would ghost us on his own birth time. The cosmic joke writes itself: the astronomer who demanded evidence for the stars’ influence left us no evidence to test his own chart.
But was it only Sagan who is a sceptic of astrology? No, some Christians also have an uneasy time with it… I thought about it briefly, and then found an argument in favour of astrology, related to Christianity, that is hard to dismiss.
The Divine Symphony: A Christian Case for the Stars
While some Christian interpretations of Astrology focus on biblical prohibitions, a deeper reading reveals a more nuanced and even positive relationship between God, the heavens, and humanity. Rather than seeing astrology as a forbidden practice, we can view it as an ancient and intuitive language through which God communicates with all of creation, a truth powerfully demonstrated at the very birth of Christ.
Three Magi follow a star
The birth of Christ was not just announced despite astrology; it was announced through it. The journey of the Magi is a powerful testament that no field of human knowledge is outside of God’s reach. The heavens are not a source of pagan fear but a canvas for divine glory. The story powerfully suggests that for those who seek with a sincere heart, the stars themselves will bow and point the way to the true King.
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
Psalm 19:1 states this beautifully: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
In this light, astrology is not a departure from God but an attempt to listen to what His creation is saying. It is an act of paying attention. Why would God create such a magnificent and orderly celestial clockwork if not for it to hold meaning and purpose?
The Goal Determines the Goodness of the Practice
The biblical prohibitions against “divination” are aimed at idolatry—the act of replacing God with something else. They forbid seeking guidance from the stars instead of God. The Magi, however, did the exact opposite.
The Magi: Honored Heroes of the Faith
The story of the Magi is not a cautionary tale, but a story of honor. These astrologers from the East are the first Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew to recognize and worship Jesus. They are presented as wise, diligent, and faithful seekers.
God Meets Us Where We Are
A loving God communicates with people in a language they can understand. He spoke to fishermen in terms of fishing (“I will make you fishers of men”) and to farmers through parables of sowing seeds. To the Magi, who dedicated their lives to reading the heavens, God spoke through a Star.
A Divine Endorsement: By placing a special star in the sky, God was not setting a trap; He was validating their search. He affirmed that their study of the cosmos was a legitimate path that could lead to Him. The Star of Bethlehem can be seen as God’s ultimate seal of approval on the search for divine truth within the patterns of creation.
Big changes are coming to the airwaves at KGRA Digital Broadcasting! The MUFON Contact Radio Show is relaunching with new hosts and a new subtitle, “On The Precipice,” while a new program, The Bureau, featuring three generations of women in UFO research, is set to debut on August 3rd.
Mark your calendars for two upcoming events: Las Vegas hosts AlienFest 2025 on September 27th, featuring George Knapp, and Kecksburg, PA, will celebrate the 20th UFO Festival, commemorating 60 years since its famous incident.
This week’s UAP photo comes from Los Angeles, capturing a mysterious, fast-moving object near the rare “Bethlehem Star” conjunction in 2020. Additionally, the Institute for Exoconsciousness is calling for contactees to participate in a new AI-related survey, and for those interested in cryptozoology, a new manuscript on Bigfoot is now available for a free read.
All this plus the UAP Photo of the week and an updated listing of intriguing UAP-related events can now be seen here: https://www.thewowsignal.news/
Chapter 10 of the Sagan Paradox, “From Sun Gods to StarChips,” presents a fascinating hypothesis. At its core, the text argues for a radical re-interpretation of ancient signs (pyramids, myths). It proposes a new code for their decoding – a code made available to us only through modern technology. We can powerfully illuminate this idea through the lens of Umberto Eco’s semiotic theory (A Theory Of Semiotics).
The Sign, the Code, and the Modern Interpretant
Umberto Eco posits that the relationship between a signifier (the physical form, like a word or image) and a signified (the concept it represents) creates meaning. Cultural codes govern this relationship. The text’s argument begins by establishing a new, contemporary code.
The Modern Sign: The “Breakthrough Starshot” initiative provides a new, tangible sign.
Signifier: The “StarChip” probe, a gram-scale, pyramidally-folded solar sail.
Signified (Denotation): An inexpensive, unmanned interstellar probe capable of reaching nearby stars within decades.
Code: 21st-century astrophysics and micro-engineering.
This modern sign acts as an interpretant – a new sign in our minds that allows us to re-evaluate older signs. The text successfully resolves “Sagan’s Paradox” not through philosophical argument. Instead, it demonstrates a shift in the technological code. Scientists can now achieve with a few kilograms of material what they once thought required ‘1% of the mass of all stars.’ This establishes the plausibility of the signifier (an interstellar probe) existing.
Aberrant Decoding: The “Cargo Cult” Hypothesis
The central thesis of the text is a classic case of what Eco termed aberrant decoding. This happens when someone interprets a message with a different code than the one the sender used. We hypothesize a prehistoric instance of First Contact as the ultimate example of this.
Imagine the following scenario:
The Sender (Hypothetical): An extraterrestrial intelligence.
The Message (Encoded): An autonomous probe, possibly resembling a “StarChip,” arrives on Earth. Its “meaning” is purely technological – a device for exploration. The code is one of advanced physics and engineering.
The Receiver: Ancient humanity.
The Decoding: Lacking the code of advanced technology, our ancestors could not interpret the object for what it was. They applied the dominant codes available to them: the mythological and the divine.
Thus, a technological artifact (the signifier) was aberrantly decoded. Its signified was not “interstellar probe” but “divine messenger,” “primordial creator,” or “celestial vessel.”
The Proliferation of the Sign: From Ur-Event to Cultural Memory
Eco’s concept of unlimited semiosis explains how a sign can generate an endless chain of subsequent signs (interpretants). The text argues that this single, misunderstood technological event (the “Ur-Sign”) rippled through human culture, creating a web of interconnected myths and symbols.
The Original Signifier: A pyramidal, reflective object descending from the sky and perhaps associated with a body of water (a common landing necessity).
This signifier generated multiple interpretants across different cultures, all retaining fragments of the original form and context:
The Egyptian Interpretant: The signifier becomes the Benben stone, the pyramidal mound rising from the primordial waters of Nu, from which the sun god Atum-Ra emerges. The probe’s act of searching becomes the myth of the Eye of Ra. This is a “sentient probe” sent to find his lost children.
The Abrahamic Interpretant: The signifier’s shape – a stable structure offering salvation from water – is remembered as Noah’s Ark. Recent analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests a “pyramid-like roof” that powerfully reinforces this connection. It is not that the ark was a pyramid. Instead, they mapped the memory of a pyramidal savior-object onto the story of the ark.
The Universal Interpretant: The probe’s function as a traveler from an unknown place becomes the recurring motif of scout birds and divine messengers (e.g., the dove in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible). These birds were sent across the water to find a home for humanity.
Semiotic analysis of the cargo cult hypothesis
The Monument as Interpretant: Building the Sign
The most profound outcome of this aberrant decoding, according to the text, is not just mythological but architectural. Faced with an awe-inspiring event they interpreted as divine, ancient peoples sought to reconnect with it. They did so by recreating the signifier.
The pyramids, therefore, are not alien artifacts. In semiotic terms, they are a monumental, physical interpretant. They are humanity’s attempt to reproduce the form of the divine visitor. This is a grand act of imitation meant to venerate the original event and perhaps solicit its return. The pyramids are the ultimate expression of a prehistoric “cargo cult” – a monument built not by aliens, but in memory of them.
Conclusion: A New Reading of History
By applying a semiotic framework, we can see that the argument in chapter 10 of the Sagan Paradox is not a simple “ancient astronauts” theory. It is a more nuanced claim about meaning, memory, and interpretation. It suggests that our ancestors witnessed a signifier they could not comprehend. Consequently, they spent millennia processing it through myth, religion, and architecture and signs.
The “Cosmic Mirror” metaphor at the end is apt. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence forces us to re-examine our own signs. The “Breakthrough Starshot” project does not just offer a future of exploration. It also provides a new code, a key that might unlock the meaning behind our most ancient and enigmatic symbols. The pyramids cease to be just tombs or temples. They become signs of a profound encounter, not with alien builders, but with human awe in the face of the unknown.
Washington is abuzz with action on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) as Congress receives updates on the Schumer/Rounds UAP Disclosure Act and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna pushes for new public hearings. Meanwhile, mysterious events are unfolding on the ground, with reports of a fire at Area 51 and a new UAP photographed in Kansas following a power failure. Amidst the excitement, a veteran researcher reflects on the long and frustrating wait for “Disclosure.”
Updates about The Schumer/Rounds UAP Disclosure Act! Tickets Now Available for X-Con 2025! News from The New Paradigm Institute! Exclusive Photo of The Area 51 Fire! Guest Column: Don Ecker: “Disclosure: A Dangle Out of Reach!” Weird UAP Photo of the Week Over Kansas!
The digital age began with a spark of innovation the day before Christmas in 1947. Some speculate that Roswell reverse engineering influenced this era, sparking much intrigue and debate over the years.
Transistor One
On December 23rd, 1947, researchers Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain at Bell Labs demonstrated the world’s first working transistor to their colleagues. This revolutionary semiconductor device would become the foundational building block of modern electronics, fundamentally reshaping human civilization by ushering in the digital age.
The Roswell Connection
Yet, a tantalizing question lingers about the origins of this revolution, tied to a mysterious event that occurred just six months earlier in the New Mexico desert. In July 1947, an object crashed near Roswell, New Mexico.
Could the reverse engineering of Roswell finds have given birth to modern electronics?
Roswell, NM,
While officially labeled a weather balloon, eyewitness reports from the time painted a far different picture. The debris was described as a strange, foil-like material with extraordinary properties. Witnesses, including Major Jesse Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group, claimed it was impossibly strong and possessed a kind of shape-memory; it could be crumpled into a ball, only to unfold itself without a single crease.
The timing is provocative. An alleged craft of unknown origin, made of materials beyond our comprehension, crashes. Within months, a breakthrough occurs that hinges on semiconductor materials, launching the digital revolution. This has led to speculation: did the Roswell wreckage contain a piece of technology, perhaps a communications chip, that was recovered and successfully reverse-engineered?
The Probability of Visitors
For such a scenario to be plausible, we must consider the likelihood of alien visitors. The Copernican Principle provides a philosophical foundation, stating that Earth holds no privileged position in the cosmos.
Our planet is one of countless worlds orbiting one of countless suns. If the conditions for life arose here, it follows that life has likely arisen elsewhere throughout the universe.
Our sun (M) is one amongst many. Illustration by Iohannes Kepler, Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae, 1618
This creates a paradox. If life is common, why haven’t we heard from anyone? Why the silence? Are we listening for the wrong signals?
The assumption that advanced civilizations would use interstellar radio waves might be flawed. It’s possible they have reasons not to broadcast their existence intentionally by radio. For one thing, conventional radio transceivers are awfully slow, given the enormous distances between worlds. Secondly, they may be afraid to expose their location (Dark Forest theory.)
If they aren’t communicating via radio waves, are they perhaps visiting or sending probes?
Since 1947, thousands of UFO testimonies have been logged. While many are misidentifications of mundane objects like the planet Venus, a significant number remain unexplained by conventional means.
If these reports are considered evidence of a physical presence, then accidental encounters, like the alleged crash at Roswell, move from the realm of impossibility to probability. The ultimate “message” from such a civilization might not be a radio signal, but something else waiting to be understood.
Re-evaluating First Contact in Light of New Technology
The Old Challenge: Sagan’s Paradox
Carl Sagan calculated in 1969 that to initiate the first contact between humans and aliens, we would need to launch 10,000 spaceships into space annually to have even the remotest chance of success. This endeavor would collectively consume about 1% of the mass of all stars in the universe for building materials. Therefore, it makes the task seem impossible.
The Modern Solution: Breakthrough Initiatives
Today, billionaires Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg challenge this paradox. Their “Breakthrough Initiatives” is a scientific effort to find extraterrestrial intelligences. They aim to contact them and explore nearby planets.
Programs like “Breakthrough Starshot” want to send inexpensive unmanned probes, called “StarChips,” to nearby solar systems. They plan to first target Proxima B. The “StarChip” is a marvel of miniaturization. It contains a camera, battery, radio module, solar cells, a photon drive (an LED), and various instruments. Remarkably, it weighs only a few grams.
These nanoprobes will attach to solar sails. This enables laser-assisted accelerations of up to 15-20% of the speed of light. At those speeds, we can reach Alpha Centauri in 20-30 years. Unlike past concepts like the Longshot project, which would require billions of dollars for a single probe, a StarChip nanoprobe costs only around $20.
The launch laser constitutes the biggest cost factor. The project estimates a one-time investment of 5-10 billion dollars for the entire system. Once built, this laser could launch millions of probes. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb suggests we could send these probes to every corner of the cosmos every year, without breaking a sweat.
So, we now see that the material required to send 10,000 probes to the stars every year is only about 40 kilograms. It doesn’t require a significant proportion of the mass of the universe. That’s good.
This technological leap invites a profound question. What influence could the sighting or salvage of a StarChip-like probe have on extraterrestrial intelligent beings on their planets?
Cosmic Mirror
Think of the search for aliens as holding up a giant mirror to all of humanity. By looking for others out there, we end up looking for ourselves. It forces us to think about the signals and objects we’re sending into space and what it means to a planet full of people.
Erich Habich-Traut
The “Cargo Cult” Hypothesis
Could an alien “Starchip”-like probe have landed on Earth in the past?
Sagan himself did not rule out that Earth had been visited by aliens, a priori. Yet, he was a strong opponent of Erich von Däniken’s idea that aliens were directly involved in building the pyramids. Nevertheless, the origin myths of humankind, particularly from Mesopotamia and Egypt, pose intriguing questions.
Carl Sagan’s A Priori.
Mythological Parallels: Echoes of a Visitation?
The cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt play a major role in the origin myths of humankind.
According to the Egyptian creation myth of Heliopolis, in the beginning, there was endless, deep, dark water. From this roiling abyss a solitary, pyramidal mound called the Benben stone arose; the first point of order. Here a solitary intelligence, the sun god Atum-Ra, came into being. Alone, he brought forth two sentient forces: his son and daughter. He sent them out, to begin the great work of building a universe.
For a time, his children were lost. In his desperation, Atum-Ra decoupled a fragment of his consciousness, a sentient probe he called an Eye. He then sent it out to find his children. The eye roamed the vastness, found and returned the children to the pyramidal mound. Atum-Ra’s tears of joy fell on the Earth, and humanity was created.
Thereafter, Atum-Ra began sailing across the heavens in the solar boat of a million years.
Benben stones…
…had great spiritual importance, they were the capstones of pyramids or obelisks. They represented the primordial mound from which the world was created.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu on the Giza plateau reveals eight-sides during the spring and autumn equinox.
Intriguingly, some solar sails, for instance those from the Breakthrough Starshot program, can bear a striking resemblance to a pyramid shape:
Notice the similarity to Khufu’s pyramid in the paper model. A solar sail would be folded similarly.
From the Egyptian creation story to the Sumerian Gilgamesh epic and the Bible, scout birds or flying eyes are common motifs. These epics also feature great bodies of water and voyages to find land.
In these tales it has always been the task of scout birds and divine messengers to find or return to a home for humankind. According to myth and legend, humanity arose on Earth from pyramidal “ships” or mounds – whether through offspring or tears.
Noah’s Ark as a pyramid?
There are a number of examples in art that depict the Ark as a pyramid.
The Gates Of Paradise
And it is not only some Renaissance sculptors and painters that depict Noah’s Ark as pyramidal. How did they come to this notion anyways? Haven’t we been taught in Sunday school that the Ark was a rectangular type boat shape? Maybe with a sloping roof?
Well, the idea of a pyramid -shaped Ark had been suggested much earlier, for instance by Origen of Alexandria in the 3rd century:
“I think that the ark, as much as is clear from the things that are described, had four angles rising from the bottom that gradually narrowed as they came to the peak and came together in the space of one cubit. Thus the cubit is the length and width of the peak.”
Torah Scholarship
This is echoed by the rational-mysticism school within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Orthodox Judaism. They explain that the Torah’s measurements prescribe a pyramid-shaped ark. I followed their instructions and drew this image:
These interpretations are backed up by a recent analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It suggests that Noah’s Ark was described as having a pointed, pyramid-like roof.
This discovery was made possible by a project at the Israel Antiquities Authority. It used high-resolution scanning technology to reveal previously illegible text on the ancient parchments.
A Monument to a Memory
The convergence of evidence from archaeology, mythology, religious texts, and astronomy does not suggest that aliens built the pyramids.
Rather, it points toward a more compelling and profoundly human explanation. The pyramids are the ultimate expression of a prehistoric cargo cult. The argument is not that extraterrestrials directed their construction. Instead, our ancestors witnessed a singular, awe-inspiring event: the arrival of an autonomous or crewed probe from another world, perhaps resembling a modern solar sail, i.e. pyramidally shaped.
In any case, this “visitor,” with its pyramidal shape, would have been interpreted through a religious lens. It wasn’t a technological marvel; it appeared as a divine messenger. The recurring motifs across cultures – the pyramidal Benben stone from which life arose, the pointed roof of Noah’s Ark that saved humanity from the water, and the “Eye” of Ra sent to search the world – can be understood as fragmented cultural memories of this single technological apparition.
Faced with an event far beyond their comprehension, ancient peoples did what humans have always done: they sought to understand it, venerate it, and reconnect with it. They built pyramids not under alien instruction, but as a monumental act of imitation and worship.
These structures were humanity’s attempt to recreate the form of the “divine” object. They hoped to summon its return. Therefore, the pyramids are not an alien artifact, but an enduring monument to human awe and our innate drive to make sense of the unknown.
Alignment of the Giza plateau pyramids with Orion?
Sons of Orion
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4
In the Aramaic language, a Semitic tongue closely related to Hebrew, the constellation Orion is known as Nephila (נְפִילָא). This has led some scholars to propose that the Hebrew “Nephilim” might be linked to this Aramaic term.
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