Why Do I Believe Bigfoot Exists if I've Never Seen One?

What's the Intrigue?

 It's interesting to think about the researcher who researches. What is their motivation? What makes a person intrigued by a topic like UFOs, or ghosts, or cryptids?

Sometimes it's because the researcher herself saw something. Something so unusual that she has to pursue it. Or the person has had a lifetime of odd experiences. (I fall into those categories concerning ghosts, UFOs, psychic experiences, but not Bigfoot. Well, even if with Bigfoot I did have one odd episode. More on that later.) And sometimes the person is a skeptic, a debunker even, who is out to disprove the existence of ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, aliens, etc.

So why do I, who has never seen a Bigfoot, believe that the being exists? I watch just about every Bigfoot show I can. I have dozens of books on my shelf about Bigfoot. I can't get enough. Why? Someone asked me that not long ago; why am I so intrigued? 

Part of it is the mystery. I love mysteries. Part of it is the fact I have personally met many people here in Oregon who have seen a Sasquatch. People of all ages, genders, occupations . . . including teachers, doctors and psychologists. I believe them. Why would they lie? And do I think they're stupid enough, or ignorant enough, about local wildlife that they  mistake an elk or bear for a Sasquatch? Of course not.

There's the added factor of paranormal type activity connected to many Bigfoot encounters. What is going on with that?! Orbs, strange lights, cloaking, "mind speak," or telepathic communications, UFOs, black helicopters, cover-ups. All seemingly part of Bigfoot's existence. Who can resist chasing after that mystery?

There's just enough evidence to strongly suggest -- very strongly suggest -- that Bigfoot exists. Footprint casts, heat images on camera, calls, tree knocks, rock throwing, structures, synchronicities, not to mention eye witness accounts. 

My Bigfoot Encounter: Sort Of

I've written before about my odd episode concerning Bigfoot. I was inside the local New Age bookstore in Eugene discussing with the owner Stan Johnson. Stan Johnson, (deceased) lived in Sutherlin, Oregon and self-published a couple of books on his interactions with a family of Sasquatch. (They did not like to called Bigfoot, they told him.) Johnson's experiences included many telepathic communications with several Sasquatch on his ranch, and journeys inside a spaceship. Johnson's experiences included UFOs, conversations with a family of Sasquatch, and a new age version of Christianity. (I met Johnson once; he was in his eighties, I believe, but extremely vivacious. Definitely had charisma. He shook my hand; he was so strong I thought he was going to break it.)

So, the bookstore owner and I were talking about Bigfoot and Stan Johnson, when suddenly, I saw/felt a cone of light come down through the ceiling and cover us. Things were a bit blurry through this cone of light, like looking through gauze. Sounds were muffled. Colored streaks of light. I'm standing there, thinking this is very very weird. When our conversation finished, the cone shot up through the ceiling, and everything returned to normal. I mentioned this to the owner of course, who simply smiled and said "That sort of thing happens all the time when we talk about Stan."

So there it is. 

Enough "there there" for me to continue my Bigfoot studies. It might seem odd to some that I hope that there will never be undeniable proof Sasquatch exists, i.e. a dead body. Or even a live one, as in captured. I doubt either will ever happen. I sure hope not. For those that have seen a Sasquatch, no proof is needed. That's enough for me.

So I'll enjoy the journey, the process itself. I hope I am fortunate enough to see a Bigfoot some day. Whether I do or not, I will continue to believe Bigfoot exists. 

Owl Symbolism, Gifting and Sasquatch

In the excellent Where theFootprints End (Cutchin, Renner) the authors write about Bigfoot gift giving. Which is strange enough, of course. Stranger still is the symbol of the owl drawn on rocks said to be left by Bigfoot as a gift to humans.

Gifting, by humans to Sasquatch, and from Sasquatch to humans. Sasquatch is not the only entity to leave gifts for humans. Fairies are known to leave gifts for humans. Some suggest that Sasquatch is a type of fairy. 

In the book, Cutchin and Renner tell the story of Samantha, who found rocks left  on her property from Bigfoot. Describing the rocks, Samantha says that “There’s stuff etched into them, especially owls.” (page 140) Why owls? It’s said that Sasquatch imitates owl calls. Owls are known to be an iconic symbol in high strangeness encounters. Giant owls, owls morphing into aliens, etc. appear in abduction, UFO and other supernatural tales. If Bigfoot is a supernatural entity the connection with owls seems fitting. Books about owls as messengers from other realms discuss the relationship of owls and strange experiences in detail. (see Mike Clelland); The Messengers; Owls, Synchronicity  and the UFO Abductee and  Hidden Experience: a Memoir of Owls, Synchronicity, and UFO Contact.) Where the Footprints End is the first mention that I recall of a relationship between owl imagery and Bigfoot.

As the Colonel said in Twin Peaks: “The owls are not what they seem.” 

Book: Where the Footprints End

My copy of Where the Footprints End; High Strangeness and the Bigfoot Phenomenon Volume 1 (Joshua Cutchin, Timothy Renner) arrived yesterday.

As you can see, I already very into it!

I am loving this book and am excited for Volume 2.

Among other things, the book is very well written, which I appreciate.

A bit of synchronicity: the introduction contains a report from 1973 about an orange orb and Bigfoot type encounter.  Interesting for many reasons one being, the orange orb is described as being very large and close to the witnesses, and, it occurred in 1973! It's unusual to find reports of large sized orange orbs from that time. My sighting in Oregon of a large orange orb was in the early 1980s.

Haven't finished the book yet but just had to give this book a plug. I really think that anyone serious about Bigfoot research -- honest research -- should read this book, as well as others, like Them Powell's books.

Another Idiot Shooting Things

Can't find the words, except for one: "idiot!"

Sasquatch Synchronicity at Work

Oh my! But the delightful weirdness! Today at work, a staff member told me that a person who is related to another staff person was with a Bigfoot researcher — the two of them were hunting in the Cottage Grove area here in Oregon (Cottage Grove: a hot spot of both UFO and Sasquatch activity) and saw a Bigfoot. This person wanted to talk to me, knowing of my interest, but being at work, wasn’t possible to get away and talk Bigfoot. Later today, I was asking the person if they knew so and so  (well known Bigfoot researcher inserted here) and they said “He’s my cousin.” Get OUT! I asked them if they knew so and so, and so and so —  various Oregon Bigfoot researchers.  “Oh, yes…” !

So tomorrow I will talk with the witness, and ask for permission to use names. As in, who is this researcher the witness was with? Details about the sighting, and anything else that might be shared.

Monster of Boggy Creak Tarot/Oracle Card

My brother-in-law, now deceased, designed his own Tarot/oracle deck in 1979. He called it The White Goddess deck. He was an astrologer, and as you can see, incorporated astrology into his deck. He didn't do the drawings himself -- those were done by an artist he knew at that time, Ida Foreman.

White Goddess oracle deck, Michael Bear, creator, artist Ida Foreman

I hadn't looked at this deck for several years. I had forgotten that Michael used a number of cryptid, creature type images in his deck. I don't remember Michael Bear being particularly interested or knowledgeable about the topic, especially Bigfoot stories. Here's The Monster of Boggy Creak, and yes, he spelt it creak, not creek. I don't know if the misspelling was intentional, but he was a notoriously awful speller, so who knows.

I noticed in the booklet that came with the deck that there is a Bigfoot card listed, but it isn't in the deck. Maybe it got lost, or it could be it just never made it. I don't remember seeing the card, but again, I don't remember much about the deck overall. Here's how the card is described:

Conscious awareness of, not only, your own beliefs, but those of others.
Reversed: Having to be aware, consciously, of the universal subconscious.

The card is given the number 9, "relating to Neptune, the subconscious, daydreams and nightmares, drugs, alochol, habitations of all kinds." (The missing Bigfoot card is also given the number 9) and placed in the suite of spades. He has astrologically assigned "moon square retrograde Neptune" to the card.

 An interesting piece of family history. As to the aesthetics of the deck or its usefulness -- I've never used it and doubt very much I ever will. I'm too involved in family history, including some of what went on in creating the deck.

I Love the Yeti: BONUS: Green Yetis

Fomr I Love the Yeti blog: I Love the Yeti: BONUS: Green Yetis

Bigfoot Evidence: What Happened to the Lake Worth Monster? The Summer of the Goat-Man

The 1969 Lake Worth Monster story has always fascinated me; a classic in the lore of BHM (big hairy monsters). Big Evidence has the following:Bigfoot Evidence: What Happened to the Lake Worth Monster? The Summer of the Goat-Man

Back in 1969, the residents of Ft. Worth, Texas experienced a wave of sightings of a 7 foot tall white Bigfoot type creature which came to be known as the 'Lake Worth Monster, aka the 'Goat-Man'. Described as tall, furry, and covered with scales, (yep, scales), the local newspaper headline read, "Fishy Man-Goat Terrifies Couples Parked at Lake Worth". Some witnesses said that it had the head and hooves of a goat, bringing to mind images of a satyr, a half-man half-goat from Greek mythology. They insisted it also had scales and was an excellent swimmer, often making its retreat by way of Lake Worth to Greer Island, where it was thought to live.

The Bigfoot Filmography

Very cool; something I thought of doing a few years back. I'm sure many of us have! I even started collecting DVDs of BF films -- the good, the bad, the ridiculous. But quickly realized I just didn't have the time, and, some of the movies were so bad ... I mean, bad, not "so bad it's good" but just ...bad. Enough about that; visit Dave Coleman's site which gives us a ton of links to Bigfoot blogs and sites, and ordering information on the book. The Bigfoot Filmography

From North American Bigfoot: A Product for Women, not Sasquatches

This commercial clip posted on PNW Bigfoot researcher Cliff Barackman's blog is, well, disturbing and slighlty funny. I'll leave my whole sexual politics/women and standards of beauty rants aside and just point you to the link: North American Bigfoot: A Product for Women, not Sasquatches.

MonsterTracker.com

UFO Digest publisher Dirk Vander Ploeg has a new site dedicated to cryptos, cryptids, monsters and beasties at MonsterTracker.com. 

dreams and phase transitions: The fall of the house of Blogsquatcher

Blogsquatcher is back, in a way. Not the blog, but the man behind Blogsquatcher, who managed one of the, if not the best, Bigfoot blogs, abruptly went off line some time ago, much to my dismay. (Also to my dismay, it seems I'm one of several who used his name alongside Blogsquatcher, which was something I wasn't supposed to do. I had NO idea that was the case! My big huge bad; I apologize:)

You'd be amazed how many times you can find "blogsquatcher" and "dbdonlon" right next to each other on certain websites..

When you click on the link that takes you to the Google search engine, there's Frame 352 in second place. Again, I am very sorry! I do my best to honor people's requests for confidentiality.

What is revealed in his post about Bigfoot is fascinating. Go here and read. It's amazing.

Bigfoot attack in campground kills campers, BLM & Dept of Interior involved Inyo County mid 1970's...

Does the government know that Bigfoot exists? The idea that the government know there are creatures we call Bigfoot, and that they're keeping that news from the rest of us, has been around for a long time. Here's a story from the 1990s about Bigfoot in Bishop, California, the government's knowledge of its existence, and its tactics in keeping this secret. (Also, in this story, a violent Bigfoot is mentioned.)

Bigfoot attack in campground kills campers, BLM & Dept of Interior involved Inyo County mid 1970's...

Levels of "Intelligence", Supernatural Sasquatch, and the No Kill/Kill Debate

Some are adamant about their opinions on this debate: kill, or, no kill. I'm adamant -- I won't budge -- I'm for a No Kill stance and that's that. Some are less adamant; they qualify their opinions depending on the perceived state of intelligence of the creature. The more human like Sasquatch appears to be, the less likely this type of person would attempt to kill one, but, if the creature is perceived to be "ape like," and more ape, less human, the kill policy reigns. Sasquatch is considered, by some, an animal, less than us, and while clearly intelligent, and astounding in its very existence in terms of scientific discovery, it's still "just" an animal. Still less than us, somehow. And that alone gives some the justification they need to support their kill view.

I don't care if Sasquatch turns out to be "just a big ape," some kind of uber-bear, or an alien. I don't care if the intelligence of Sasquatch is below that of a pinto bean. The intelligence level of Sasquatch should have nothing to do with killing it. I have major issues with hunting, but I do understand the justification for it in terms of survival; if one needs to feed oneself, then I'd be a hypocrite to say one should not hunt for food. If I were to find myself in certain circumstances, I might have to find I'd have to hunt as well. That aside, killing a Sasquatch is a very different issue.

I'll reiterate what I've said so many times before; I don't give a damn if science finds proof of Sasquatch's existence, and certainly not at the expense of a dead body.

Maybe this view of mine is based on my personal experiences with the paranormal, anomalous encounters and interests and UFOs: I don't care if anyone believes me or not, and I don't owe anyone an explanation or proof. I share my experiences for my own reasons, many of which I am clear about, many which I'm not. Who knows why we do what we do? We're not as focused as we sometimes tell ourselves we are. That's okay however... we're human.

My personal experiences involving the above mentioned phenomena is no doubt the reason why I am open to so-called "paranormal Bigfoot" encounters. I've never seen a Bigfoot (yet, :) and never had a supernatural Bigfoot experience (although, I suspect my cone of light experience related to Stan Johnson might be considered one such experience in some ways) but I accept these high strangeness stories. I accept them as interesting, true, and valuable. True, not necessarily literal.

So in some ways it's a non-argument; killing Sasquatch, if the creature is supernatural. Can you kill a fairy? On the other hand, we can't be too sure, and might as well continue the good fight against those who, regardless of where they fall on the kill policy continuum, would support killing one under certain circumstances.

On UFOs, et al: Stan Johnson Encounters a Sasquatch

From the UFOs, et al blog: Stan Johnson Encounters A Sasquatch.

I've been following Stan's story for many years, --he is deceased, but his story lives on. Johnson was a Sutherlin, Oregon resident who many experiences with Sasquatch of the high strangeness kind.

I met Stan once at a UFO conference in Eugene. Very charismatic man. I also had my own odd moment of high strangeness involving Stan regarding Sasquatch which I've discussed on-line many times. You can hear my description of this here; where Mike Clelland at thehidden experienceblog, interviewed me for his podcast.

Also a bit of synchronicity; just last night I was working on my manuscript of a similar case in Oregon, frustrated, once again, that I can't seem to get it done. Then I realized: it's because I haven't committed to what I think about "paranormal Bigfoot," -- I haven't gotten off the fence, and just say it. So I did, in the introduction, which caused everything else to fall into place. My next project concerns Johnson, and here I wake up to find this item on Johnson on UFOs, et al blog. Small synchronicitous Sasquatch world!

New Bigfoot Thread on JREF: "Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory"

The JREF (James Randi Educational Forum) has a new thread on Bigfoot; this one is titled "Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory." I stopped counting long ago how many Bigfoot threads there are on the JREF but at last estimation, it was around sixty. Sixty seperate threads on a "skeptic" site about a creature the majority of posters don't believe exists.

Interesting thread, on the Mormon folklore about Sasquatch. And, about UFOs. Not connected, according to the OP, and I'm not that familiar with Mormon doctrine. But it is an interesting juxtaposition.

Naturally, the skeptoids scoff at this; because it's Bigfoot, because it's religion. (The only valid point made by the OP is the potential racism inherent in this folklore -- kind of like David Icke's and other Illuminati loving theorists, who disguise their anti-Semitism with code phrases like reptilians, world bankers, etc.)

But in reading about Mormon founder Joseph Smith's experiences, it's clear he had contact with something that is very close to alien/UFO encounters. And in reading the book of Mormon, with different tribes stealing chests full of DNA, -- it reads like a sci fi novel. Parallels are clear, as Biblical/religious text UFO researchers know.

Yeti/Wild Thing Synchronicity

I had a very disturbing dream last night. I think it was because I was coming down with something and my body/subconscious was reacting to that, because after I was awake for about an hour, I suddenly felt clammy, chilled, sore throat -- fall crud. The dream sounds almost funny in some ways but it was very scary, just your basic all around nightmare. Something about the Yeti, with giant claws, ripping people apart. And smaller sized Yetis -- in the dream, they were called "Yet-its" -- who looked more like stuffed toys than real creatures. They were watching the big monster Yeti dismembering people, their bodies (or, pieces of their bodies) slowly slip down the outside of the glass on the windows of the second floor room where I was watching all this, and damn glad of course I wasn't one of the victims. Blood, guts, human body parts, all sliding down the glass. The "Yet -its" were shocked, and sad, at this, because the big monster Yeti wasn't supposed to be a murderous monster, but something went wrong.

I was telling someone at work about this dream and described the "Yet-its" as looking like the characters from Where the Wild Things Are. And a minute later, someone walks into the room with a T-shirt with a large monster character from the book, with the title, in large letters: Where the Wild Things Are.

So, owls and Yetis and Wild Things; a message, synchronicity? Maybe the "message" is simply the appearance of the synchronicities themselves, appearing in animal form, since that's where I like to be -- in the animal realm.

As to the nature of the yucky dream; had another violent dream the night before that, though not involving animals. Sadly, a person I know. Some personal issues in my life right now. Not surprising, given that and my run down state, that my dream mind conjures up attacking Yetis!

Lon Strickler on "The Bigfoot Paradox"

I'm a contributor to The C-Influence blog, along with Bruce Duensing, Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters, Bruceleeeowe, Eric Ouellet, J.S. Flower,John Carlson, Lesley Gunter, and Rick Phillips. The idea of the blog is to have "seed posts," -- an article by a contributor --  about esoteric subjects that generates discussion and responses by other blog members. Pretty neat, and different, idea!

Currently, Lon has a great post about paranormal Bigfoot: Visit the blog, read Lon's excellent post, and the equally interesting responses by blog contributors, including me :)

A Ghost Ape-Man in an Irish Castle

 A very cool article on the Phantom Ape-Man at Cryptozoology Online.

". . . one of my favourite ghoulish tales comes via Rev. Archdeacon St. John D. Seymour, and concerns a bizarre entity once said to have haunted an Irish castle. Certainly, a handful of reports of phantom ape-men and spectral monkeys litter world folklore, and in the UK a scant few exist."

This ghost/monster apparition was described as having a human head, yet "rest of the form belonged to a huge ape." !

Thanks to Nick Redfern at Man Beast UK for the link.

Visit my blog Regan Lee Oregon

Was Flix a Hoax?

A visitor to my Oregon blog on the L.O.W.F.I. site left the following comment concerning my post on Flix, the creature in Conser Lake, Oregon:

Just browsing that bit from the book and noticed a number of errors, among them “Devers-Conner, about 30 miles south of Millersburg”. The name of the area is Dever-Conner and Conser Lake is only about 5 miles NW down the Willamette River from Millersburg.

…I don’t want to kill the buzz, but I can say I’m an Albany native and my family’s been here for a few generations now. My great aunt and uncle have both told me that the Westby boys were “trouble makers” and recalls them bragging about having fooled a number of people who provided original accounts of Flix. This is non-existant. Nobody in the area knows or cares about the legend. Reports of the creature fall within a relatively short period and have not occurred since, which could relate to the relocating of locals, their involvement, and their word of mouth in the hostel-size community.

Flix was cool to believe in when we were kids and growing up a few miles as a crow flies from Conser Lake (and a few blocks from the Conser family), but the legend is truly garbage. I wouldn’t promote it any further or set any store in what you read concerning it. Fooled!

I have several emails and letters from people who lived in the area at the time of Flix's visit. Two people are adamant that it was a hoax, but offer no proof, not even evidence, only their opinion. Others have had their own Bigfoot sightings (of a non-Flix and more mundane nature) or share their memories of the event as an exciting and weird mystery.

However, as I replied to Spencer, the person who left the following comment,on one level, with stories like this it's not important if the story is "true," a statement that might be misunderstood. I'll try to explain myself further at some other time but I'm taking a break from getting ready for work this morning. I couldn't resist posting this for now however. So this is what I replied to Spencer, and if the Flix story was a hoax by the Westby brothers, I sure would love to hear more about that! As I mentioned to Spencer and I've mentioned elsewhere, if Flix was just some teens in a big heavy hairy suit, they were more than stupid for risking their lives since people were coming in from all over to shoot at the "monster."

Spencer: thanks. The quotes are as if from other sources…

As to the story itself: for a Fortean, it’s moot if there literally was a Flix or not in Millersburg. There are so many weird little elements and synchronicities, behaviors, responses and events that echo the story of Flix that’s part of the intrigue of the story.

You’re correct that “Reports of the creature fall within a relatively short period and have not occurred since,” which often happens with stories like this. A strange creature pops up, hangs around for a while, then leaves. It entirely possible Flix was a hoax by the “troublemakers” — although, why they would risk their lives by getting shot at is a question.

I’ve heard from several people who lived in the area at the time and they are still, after all these years, interested, so I wouldn’t say “nobody cares” but no doubt many are convinced it’s all a hoax and have moved on.

Either way, the story, as a story and part of the Bigfoot/Big Hairy Monster lore, remains.