Archive for the ‘LOWFI’ Category
Radio appearances by Skylaire

Skylaire on PsiOp Radio Three Year Anniversary Show
Skylaire on Eye to the Sky with Dee Andrews
http://paranormalradionetwork.org/2010/02/06/eye-to-the-sky–the-ufo-synopsis-guest-skylaire-alfvegren.aspx
Skylaire on Greg Bishop’s Radio Mysterioso
http://www.radiomisterioso.com/category/fortean/
More to come…
Charles Fort, the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists, and a little town called Los Angeles

Phenomenologist Charles Fort (1874-1932) spent 27 years of his life humorously shredding orthodox science by collating thousands of accounts of unexplained phenomena which orthodox science couldn’t—and still can’t—explain away. Fort sought interconnectedness between his phantasmagoria, (“our whole ‘existence’ is an attempt by the relative to be the absolute, or by the local to be the universal”) and philosophized about it in four groundbreaking works: The Book of the Damned (1919), New Lands (1923), Lo! (1931) and Wild Talents (1932). “We are not realists. We are not idealists. We are intermediatists—that nothing is real, but that nothing is unreal: that all phenomena are approximations one way or the other between realness and unrealness… our whole quasi-existence is an intermediate stage… like purgatory, I think.”
Fort first identified the fireball, the teleportation effect, and the UFO. He examined falls of blood, birds, “unctuous” and “phosphorescent” substances, flesh and coins from the world’s skies. He presented the luminous bodies encircling Mars and Venus; gave poltergeists the benefit of the doubt, and wrote that his ‘damned’ data would be proven as well as Moses or Darwin ever “proved anything.”
The world has only gotten more phenomenal since Fort’s time, and the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists (L.O.W.F.I.) ensures that his spirit lives on: neither cranks nor skeptics, Forteans are characterized by their objectivity, sense of wonder, good humor and lust for supernormal adventure. Based in Los Angeles, the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists’ focus is on the long, strange life of the American southwest, gathering to discuss its enigmas, peculiarities and unexplainable events. Operating as a “wire service of the weird” online, L.O.W.F.I. Boasts bloggers state by state from Oregon to Texas.
L.O.W.F.I. is a research-based, journal-publishing band of urbane explorers with interests in all shades of the paranormal, UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena, cryptozoology and unknown animals, synchronicity and coincidence, religious cults, mass hysteria, giants and the ‘little people,’ inter/extra-dimensional visitors, oddball philosophies, evidence of pre-Columbian visitations to the southwest and other archaeological ‘anomalies,’ lost continents and vanished civilizations, spontaneous human combustion, sky falls, scientific hoaxes, earth energy/ley lines, conspiracies and enigmas, kooks and prophets, the people, places and events which make our corner of the world weird.
L.O.W.F.I. seeks to provide a clearinghouse for reports of such phenomena which will be archived and made available to the public, via a website http://www.forteanswest.com. In Los Angeles, we hold informal meetings, go on field trips and host visiting lecturers in an attempt to open lines of communication and create a sense of camaraderie amongst modern-day phenomenologists. You may already be a member!
L.O.W.F.I. founder Skylaire Alfvegren has spent a lifetime researching the weird, wacky and unexplainable history of her hometown of Los Angeles. Join her as she explains Fort’s importance and the objectives of L.O.W.F.I., while detailing some of her favorite local cases of unexplainable phenomena, for the Los Angeles Visionary Association (LAVA), Sunday, May 30, from noon onwards, at Clifton’s Cafeteria (upstairs).
Clifton’s Cafeteria
www.cliftonscafteria.com
648 South Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213 627 1673
Skylaire at gmail.com
Saturday, February 6, Eye to the Sky radio with Dee Andrew
This Saturday, February 6, tune in to Eye to the Sky radio with hostess Dee Andrew, and Skylaire Alfvegren, master of disaster, as we discuss a number of subjects, including the Fortean mindset, my recent adventures in synchronicity, and undoubtedly, unexplained things in the sky.
7:00 (EST) 6:00pm (CST) 5:00 pm (MST) 4:00 pm (PST).
(Shows are archived on the site, as well.)
listen: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ufo-paranormal-radio-network
You kids and your technology!
What Should L.A. Say to the Space Aliens?
By Jeremy Rosenberg
December 11, 2009 1:30 AM
Last week, the Los Angeles Times carried this dispatch: “Is Denver ready for a close encounter?”
Tongues planted firmly in cheek, Ashley Powers and DeeDee Correll wrote about how a Denver ballot initiative next year will attempt to create an “Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission.” From the article:
This week, Denver officials announced that Peckman had gathered about 4,000 valid signatures needed to place the issue before the 350,000 registered voters of the Colorado state capital.If approved, the city panel would promote “harmonious, peaceful, mutually respectful and beneficial coexistence” between earthlings and extraterrestrials, in part by developing protocols for “diplomatic contact.”
For more Mile High reaction, TTLA checked in with our Denver Bureau Chief, Michael Gunstanson. His reply runs below.
Also, TTLA wondered, shouldn’t Los Angeles be doing something about this Denver gap? Should we start gathering signatures? Form our own space alien welcoming committee?
“That’s really funny,” says TTLA Paranormal Activities Bureau Chief, Skylaire Alfvegren (motto: “Yellow journalism, elfin magic.”). “I don’t think it’s necessary. I think this guy’s initiative in Denver is more of a gesture than anything else.”
Alfvegren is, among much more, the founder of the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists (L.O.W.F.I.), which she describes in part as a “wire service for the weird,” studying “the mysteries and peculiarities of the American West, including paranormal phenomena, UFOs, cryptozoology, and unexplained phenomena of every type.”
More down below from Alfvegren. First, though, here’s what Gunstanson, formerly with the L.A. Times and the Rocky Mountain News, wrote us:
“So you think that the city of Angels might want to follow Denver’s lead and get in on the act of communing with them, or at least their 21st century brethren, huh?
“Not surprising. For whatever reason, UFOs, extraterrestrials, grays, men from mars or whatever you want to call them, have been in the news a great deal of late. From their high-profile, if albeit tumbling ratings, return to network television in “V” to a veiled nod of their existence in the new SyFy channel spinoff: “Stargate Universe,” aliens seem to be everywhere at once.
“Why, no less an, ahem, authority on the subject, his Holiness, the Pope, recently convened a conference to discuss the matter:
“Though it may seem an unlikely location to happen upon a conference on astrobiology, the Vatican recently held a “study week” of over 30 astronomers, biologists, geologists and religious leaders to discuss the question of the existence of extraterrestrials. – Universe Today
“The Vatican’s chief astronomer says there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of extraterrestrial “brothers” perhaps more evolved than humans.
“In my opinion this possibility exists,” said the Reverend José Gabriel Funes, head of the Vatican Observatory and a scientific adviser to Pope Benedict XVI, referring to life on other planets. – NY TImes
“Meanwhile, Monsignor Corrado Balducci, a theologian member of the Vatican Curia (governing body), and an insider close to the Pope, has gone on Italian national television five times to proclaim that extraterrestrial contact is a real phenomenon, according to UFO Digest. Balducci provided an analysis of extraterrestrials that he feels is consistent with the Catholic Church’s understanding of theology. Monsignor Balducci emphasizes that extraterrestrial encounters “are NOT demonic, they are NOT due to psychological impairment, they are NOT a case of entity attachment, but these encounters deserve to be studied carefully.”
“So you can see why Denver, having missed out on the spaceport race – mostly because there isn’t a piece of land big enough and flat enough to work – would want to be at the forefront of the UFO greeting race.
“Add in these facts: most UFOlogists — yes, I’m told that’s a word — believe Eisenhower only added “In God We Trust” to the money and pushed for “under God” to be added to the pledge in 1954 after meeting with aliens; Denver is a scant 9 hours from Roswell, where aliens reportedly crashed; Cheyenne Mountain was where the military stored the Stargate (if you can believe the writers/producers of Stargate: SG1) and you can see that Denver, and the state of Colorado has had a rich “brush with UFO fame” history in this regard.
“All that said, my guess is this measure will not pass.”
Back, now, to Los Angeles and Alfvegren. A veteran of the Cacophony Society (adults only) she’s also a freelancer for the LA Weekly and other pubs. Her L.O.W.F.I. puts on events in town once a month or so — a drive through Phillip K. Dick’s Fullerton; taking a psychic medium to the Richard Nixon Museum.
Saturday, December 12, L.O.W.F.I. is involved with L.A. Santacon, a Cacophony tradition. (Adults only — for more information, follow the links from the L.O.W.F.I. events page.)
To TTLA’s surprise, Alfvegren says L.A. has no business following Denver’s ballot initiative lead.
“We have so much to worry about in this state, in this economy,” Alfvegren says. “As interesting and life-changing as it would be to have someone make contact, well, I heard on the radio the other night that something like 70% percent of single mothers in Los Angeles County can’t meet their basic financial needs in terms of child care, health care, and food. You’ve got to put things in perspective.”
Okay, if a ballot initiative is out, then what if local politicians got directly involved?
“If a measure like Denver’s slipped in somehow,” Alfvegren says, “I don’t think anybody on our City Council has enough of a sense of humor to say, “Oh look, it’s promoting peace and harmony among everybody. Let’s okay this.’”
The L.O.W.F.I. leader also says she’s seen civic proposals she regards as stranger than the Denver idea: “Pot dispensaries having to be 1,000 feet from residential areas is a far crazier ballot initiative than one that’s promoting diplomacy and harmony and peace between us and whoever else may be out there.”
Photo Credit: The image accompanying this post was taken by Flickr user Eliya. It was used under Creative Commons license.
LOWFI founder on Radio Misterioso 12/13 8pm PST
LOWFI founder Skylaire Alfvegren will be appearing Sunday, December 13th from 8-10pm PST on killradio.org, on the show Radio Misterioso w/ Space Brother.
UFOs, conspiracies, psychedelia, parapsychology, black budgets, disinformation and suppressed information. Interviews with mind mavericks, and music from people who will never get a record deal and just don’t care.
Archive and podcast at radio4all.net.
Come discover Philip K. Dick’s Fullerton
“I am made of water. You wouldn’t know it, because I have it bound in. My friends are made out of water, too: all of them. The problem for us is that not only do we have to walk around without being absorbed by the ground but we also have to earn our livings.Actually, there’s an even greater problem. We don’t feel at home anywhere we go.” – Philip K. Dick
Come discover Philip K. Dick’s Fullerton, with our gracious host and tour guide, the venerable Robert Larson, this Monday, September 21st. Convene at 3pm at the corner of Chapman and State College, or contact me as soon as possible to iron out carpooling options from Lost Angles. (Feel free to forward this invite to any PKD enthusiast you may know in town.)
Yours in Fort,
Skylaire
Bigfoot in Texas? New At L.O.W.F.I
This just in… here’s an excerpt from a very fine article…
L.O.W.F.I’s Guest Editorial
The League of Western Fortean Intermediatists presents…
Bigfoot in Texas?
by Craig Woolheater
co-founder and chairman of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy
A common misconception among the general public is that the Bigfoot phenomenon is limited strictly to the Pacific Northwest. Many people think of Texas terrain as being nothing but prairies and deserts filled with “tumbling tumbleweeds” to quote the famous song.
However, in East Texas, which is where the majority of the reported sightings of Bigfoot occur in the state, there are approximately 12 million acres of forest land. There are four national forests and five state forests in Texas, all located in East Texas, the primary and most important forested area in Texas. The East Texas Pine Belt, or “Piney Woods” as it is commonly called, extends over forty-three counties and accounts for almost all of the state’s commercial timber.
There has been a long history of sightings in the state of Texas. Native American legends dating back hundreds of years describe tribes of hair-covered giants that lived in the forests. One of the first in the history books is the strange case of “The Wild Woman Of The Navidad.” This is a story that was recounted in The Legends of Texas published by the Texas Folklore Society in 1924. The creature was described as being extremely fast and covered in short brown hair. She eluded capture because the horses were so afraid of the strange creature that they could not be urged within reach of the lasso. Mysterious, barefoot tracks were seen frequently in the area. These events occurred in 1837 in the Texas settlements of the lower Navidad.
[...]
Continue reading at the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists main site… it’s really rather good!
L.O.W.F.I. visits the haunted Richard Nixon library…
Nixon Ghost Tour 2009
The Nixon Channel
By Jeffrey Vallance
Back in 1994, I wrote the first account of the haunting of the Nixon Library, noting poltergeist-like phenomena in three areas of the facility: the Nixon Birthplace house, at Nixon’s grave, and the Watergate display. At the Birthplace, a night watchman reported seeing a ghostly figure enter the house through a locked door. Over Nixon’s grave, a hovering green mist had been observed. And in the original Watergate display area (which has since been renovated), tapping sounds were heard and the tape machines were in frequent disrepair. (According to psychic medium Dorothy Maksym, quoted in the book The Haunting of the Presidents, the tapping sound was Nixon’s way of distracting visitors, to keep them from concentrating on the Watergate materials.) Years later, according to Maksym, the channeled ghost of Nixon described, in detail, someone who could only be me as the original witness to the grave’s green mist. Through Maksym, Nixon went on to state that his “spirit is working” through me — which came as quite a disturbing surprise!
On a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, I conducted a ghost tour through the Nixon Library & Birthplace along with famed psychic medium Joseph Ross, known for his many radio and television appearances since the 1960s. The tour was sponsored by the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists, a loosely knit Southern California paranormal organization recently founded by Skylaire Alfvegren. Our group of 14 arrived at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Dressed all in black and wearing a necklace with a large crystal pendant, Joseph Ross looked like a cross between a priest and a 19th-century magician. As the group toured the massive facility, Ross continually channeled Nixon, who would comment on various aspects of the displays. Just beyond the museum entrance are cases of artifacts from Nixon’s early life, prior to his entering politics — grade school essays, early photographs, love letters to Pat and Naval service documents. Here, the spirit of Nixon told the group that this was the only part of the library that he still enjoyed visiting.
We moved on to the Hall of World Leaders, which features life-size statues of Chairman Mao, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Sadat, Churchill and others. Here, two members of our group reported strange buzzing sounds in their ears, as if caused by insects, but none were found. At various locations, many in our group reported a nauseating smell whose origin could not be determined. It seemed to follow us throughout the day.
We arrived at the Watergate display area, which was renovated in 2007, some believe in the hope of exorcizing whatever force was causing the tape machines to malfunction. Many in the group immediately felt an unearthly chill. We searched for an air conditioning duct, but found nothing. For the library’s first 17 years, the original Watergate display was a really creepy, dimly lit corridor that exhibited photographs of the Watergate burglars and their tools. It also had a row of tape players with headphones where visitors could listen to copies of the Watergate tapes. Unfortunately, the newly remodeled Watergate display is lackluster and feels almost like a shameful afterthought. The wall is painted an institutional olive drab color, with the bank of large, interactive monitors all out of order. Perhaps Nixon’s troubled spirit hasn’t left the area.
Next, we went outside to the birthplace house. The tour guide said that although he had heard reports of the haunting of the house, he had not witnessed any phenomena. He posited if perhaps it was not Nixon haunting the house, but the spirit of a later inhabitant. Inside the house, Joseph Ross said that this is where he feels Nixon’s spirit most strongly, and that Nixon visits his birthplace every night.
It was getting late. One of the security guards informed us that the library was about to close for the day, so we gathered beside Nixon’s grave, formed a circle and all joined hands as Ross did his final channeling. The sun was low in the sky, casting our shadows dramatically across Nixon’s grave. Ross said that after many years of turmoil, Nixon’s spirit was now considerably more at peace. With several security guards observing, I was trying to imagine who they thought we were. We must have looked like either some kind of fundamentalist prayer group, or some weird cult. As we released hands, everyone in the group was surprised to be overcome by a warm, peaceful sensation.
Before departing, I reached down and scooped up soil from Nixon’s grave, which I have since preserved in several small glass vials, one of which I preserved in a reliquary which I keep close at all times.
LOWFI seeks Nixon’s spirit… are you up for a trip?
SUNDAY, MARCH 1st: our next southern California excursion will be to the haunted Richard Nixon library in Yorba Linda. On deck will be a psychic medium to pick up the vibrations, Nixon’s “ethereal conduit” Jeffrey Vallance and L.O.W.F.I.’s NorCal Bureau Chief, Adam Gorightly.
$13, with an optional outing to a secret, undisclosed location in Whittier, a scant 22 minute drive from the Nixon library. The birthplace of Discordianism, a trip to this facility is as close to a religious pilgrimage as a Fortean can get. All hail Eris! (The birthplace of Kerry Thornley himself, Whittier also gave us Nixon and Tom Waits.)
The event starts at NOON, convene at Philippe’s for carpooling and French-dipped tomfoolery pre-event.
Philippe The Original
1001 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles CA, 90012
We are located 1 block north of Union Station, Olvera St. and the Hollywood Freeway at Alameda and Ord St.
Phone: (213) 628-3781
http://www.geocities.com/tribhis/KerryThornleyIntro.html
![psiopradiolive2[1]](http://forteanswest.com/wordpress-mu/files/2010/02/psiopradiolive21.jpg)

































