Meade Layne (September 8, 1882 – May 12, 1961)[1] was an American academic and early researcher of ufology and parapsychology, best known for proposing an early version of the interdimensional hypothesis to explain flying saucer sightings.[2]
Meade Layne | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 8, 1882 Viroqua, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | May 12, 1961 (aged 78) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | English Ufology Parapsychology |
| Sub-discipline | Interdimensional hypothesis "Etheria" |
| Institutions | University of Southern California Illinois Wesleyan University Florida Southern College |
Early life edit
Layne was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin and raised in San Diego.[3] Layne sold office supplies, worked as a real estate agent, managed an oil and gas company, and wrote poetry. He claimed to have earned a PhD in English literature.[4]
Career edit
Layne was the founder and first director of Borderland Sciences Research Associates.[5][6][7] Prior to his public work studying ufos, Layne was professor at the University of Southern California, and English department head at Illinois Wesleyan University and Florida Southern College.[1]
"Etheria" edit
Layne speculated that, rather than representing advanced military or extraterrestrial technology, flying saucers were piloted by beings from a parallel dimension, which he called Etheria, and their "ether ships" were usually invisible but could be seen when their atomic motion became slow enough.[2][8] He further claimed that Etherians could become stranded on the terrestrial plane when their ether ships malfunctioned,[9] and that various governments were aware of these incidents and had investigated them.[9]
Furthermore, Layne argued that Etherians and their ether ships inspired much of earth's mythology and religion,[2] but that they were truly mortal beings despite having a high level of technological and spiritual advancement.[2] He claimed that their motive in coming to the terrestrial plane of existence was to reveal their accumulated wisdom to humanity.[10] These revelations would be relayed through individuals with sufficiently developed psychic abilities, allowing them to contact the Etherians and communicate with them directly;[9] in particular, he relied extensively on the mediumship of Mark Probert as confirmation of his theories.[11]
Death edit
Layne died in San Diego in 1961.[3]
Works edit
- Layne, Meade, The Ether Ship Mystery And Its Solution, San Diego, Calif., 1950.
- Layne, Meade, The Coming of The Guardians, San Diego, Calif., 1954.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Borderland Sciences Research Associates". borderlands.com. Borderland Sciences Research Foundation. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Reece 2007, p. 16.
- ^ a b Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "Newton Meade Layne as Fortean". From an Oblique Angle. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "History of the Borderland Sciences Research Associates". borderlandsciences.org. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Borderland Sciences Research Foundation". hatch.kookscience.com. Kook Science. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Constable, Trevor James (February 1986). "The Case for the 'Critters'". In Steiger, Brad; White, John (eds.). Other Worlds, Other Universes. Health Research Books. pp. 70–2. ISBN 9780787312916.
- ^ Davis, Erik (2006). "Space Brothers". The Visionary State: A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape. Chronicle Books. p. 192. ISBN 9780811848350.
- ^ a b c Reece 2007, p. 17.
- ^ Reece 2007, pp. 16–7.
- ^ Layne, Meade (1963). "Note Concerning the Mark Probert Mediumship". The Magic Bag. By Probert, Mark. San Diego: Kethra E'Da Foundation. Foreword pp. xv-xviii. ISBN 9781585092581.
Sources edit
- Reece, Gregory L. (2007). UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1845114510.