With most of the planet’s top UFO experts re-converging on the Joshua Tree Retreat Center from August 8–11, 2014, this noted contact point will again host the signature event of the UFO community. Headlined by legendary, Chariots of the Gods author Erich von Daniken, “Ancient Aliens” expert Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and George Noory of “Coast to Coast Radio AM,” CONTACT In the DESERT is committed to a serious, academic look at the UFO phenomenon, its impact on the human race and what it means going forward. Timed to coincide with the Perseids Meteor Shower, the second CONTACT in the DESERT will explore UFO technology, ancient aliens, human origins and the need to know with the leading scientific and military experts, researchers and theorists on the subject.
CONTACT in the DESERT has put together a very powerful line up of the leading UFO and Ancient Aliens speakers, all in one weekend. This prestigious group will feature Dr. Steven Greer, David Wilcock, Jim Marrs, Michael Tellinger, Nick Pope, John Anthony West, Colin Andrews, Jason Martell, David Jacobs, Linda Moulton Howe, David Sereda, James Gilliland, Stephen Bassett, Laura Eisenhower, Richard Dolan, Jesse Marcel, Nick Redfern, Mike Bara, Travis Walton, Yvonne Smith, Marshall Klarfeld, William Brown, Robert Perala, Robert Salas, Donald Schmitt, Alejandro Rojas, Mark Peebler, Dr. Lynne Kitei, Douglas Taylor, Dr. Joel Wallach, Celeste Yarnall, Barbara Harris and Gerald Clark.
With crop circles and mass sightings, such as the famous Phoenix Lights, more commonplace than ever, UFO awareness has come much more into the mainstream. The United Kingdom, France, Mexico and other countries have finally opened their UFO files in recognition of the right to know, resulting in accelerated public interest in these phenomena.
CONTACT in the DESERT won’t waste any time getting to the top speakers as the event will launch Friday, August 8, with a 9am keynote from the originator of the Ancient Astronaut theory, Erich von Daniken, in the retreat center’s largest venue – the outdoor amphitheater. Von Däniken’s books have sold 63 million copies worldwide. From his books, two full-length documentary films have been produced: Chariots of the Gods and Messages of the Gods. Of the more than 3,000 lectures von Däniken has presented in 25 countries, more than 500 have been at universities. This is his first appearance in Southern California in over six years.
Another Friday highlight will be the government cover-up panel with top researchers Jesse Marcel, Jim Marrs, Linda Moulton Howe, Nick Pope, Richard Dolan and Robert Salas. Marcel will be of particular interest to Roswell buffs, as he is the grandson of Air Force intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel, the first military officer to investigate the wreckage in early July 1947. Salas is a retired US Air Force officer noted for organizing a 2010 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC where he and six other ex-military witnesses testified to the reality of the UFO incidents at US nuclear weapons bases. He also participated in the May 2013 Washington, DC Citizen Hearing on Disclosure.
Friday will close with an experiential, outdoor “Initiation into Contact” session led by noted “UFO caller” James Gilliland.
Saturday will kick off with an 8:30am panel on the ancient Anunnaki, with experts Erich von Däniken, George Noory, Jason Martell, Nick Pope, Nick Redfern and Stephen Bassett. Nick Pope ran the British government’s UFO project at the Ministry of Defense for 21 years. Nick Redfern is an expert on how and why government agencies have, for decades, taken a clandestine and profound interest in numerous archeological, historical and religious puzzles.
Also on Saturday, Michael Tellinger will continue his discussion on the vanished civilizations of southern Africa and the origins of humankind. He will graphically expose discoveries that are the catalyst for rewriting our ancient human history and provide the physical evidence for much of Zecharia Sitchin’s work. Tellinger’s books, which include Slave Species of The Gods and Adam’s Calendar, have become favorites with readers in more than 30 countries.
Sunday morning will present a tough choice for conference attendees, who must choose between Erich von Daniken’s second lecture and the Contact Experience Panel with abductees and abduction experts Celeste Yarnall, Dr. Lynne Kitei, Nick Redfern, Robert Perala, Travis Walton and Yvonne Smith. Walton, whose personal story was told in the feature film Fire in the Sky, will share his latest insights on his experience and the abduction phenomenon. These will be followed by the Giorgio A. Tsoukalos meet and greet.
CONTACT in the DESERT guarantees a true intergalactic experience when the August 9–14 Perseid Meteor Shower appears to “rain” into the majestic desert sky from the constellation Perseus, rising in the northeast sky around 11pm every night of the show. The waxing crescent moon will be setting as the shower is revving up, offering a fantastic viewing experience in the darkened desert location of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. Attendees are encouraged to bring telescopes, as well as beach or lawn chairs. Showtime usually begins as soon as the radiant (near the Double Cluster in Perseus) clears the horizon, an hour or so before midnight, and climbs higher in the sky throughout the night. The Perseid meteor shower will offer up to 60 meteors an hour under spectacular summer skies.
In addition to the panels, lecture, and natural phenomena included with a weekend pass, attendees are also able to purchase tickets for more than 20 workshops from the top UFO experts, including David Wilcock, Erich von Däniken, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and more. James Gilliland and Steven Greer will offer fieldwork experiences, and on Monday, August 12, von Däniken, Wilcock, Tellinger and others will offer four-hour intensives.
The Joshua Tree Retreat Center, located at 59700 29 Palms Highway, Joshua Tree, CA is the perfect setting for CONTACT in the DESERT. An underappreciated modernist gem, the spectacular center, set on an ancient sacred site, is the oldest and largest retreat center in the Western US and boasts outstanding architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by his son, Lloyd Wright. Lodging options include extensive and beautiful campsites at the retreat center with bathroom facilities and a sparkling pool (however no hook ups). There are also plenty of nearby hotels in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, with special rates available for attendees. On-site rooms and suites are already sold out for the event, however there is dorm space available. The Center offers a variety of meal-plan options right on site.
Earlybird tickets for the event are $195 (or $340 per couple) until June 10. After that, regular tickets are $225 (or $400 per couple) and are available along with workshop passes at www.contactinthedesert.net/tickets/