A Genealogy of the Extraterrestrial in American Culture

Dr. Laughead first encountered Dorothy Martin at a meeting of the “Steel City Flying
Saucer Club.” More accurately, it was here that he first heard of her. Dorothy had attended an
earlier presentation of a lecturer and “expert” on flying saucers who later spoke to Laughed of
Martin when speaking at the club. So while flying saucers made no explicit appearance in
Martin’s philosophy, it was clear that they were at least of interest to her. Perhaps the reason for
their absence from her creed is as simple as the fact that, given the expedients of telepathy,
clairvoyance and automatic writing—the traditional occult modalities of communication that so
informed both the earlier moments discussed herein and Martin’s own experience—a physical
mode of transport was not required. While the authors forgo naming the lecturer presenting on
flying saucers, they do indicate that Dorothy met with him after the lecture and told him about
her “lessons.” “He appears to have been impressed by her, for, some time later, while he was on
a lecture tour that brought him to the Steel City Flying Saucer Club, he seems to have given Mrs.
Keech [Martin] a favorable notice. In particular, he talked about her work to Dr. Thomas
Armstrong [Laughead], a frequent attendee at meetings of this club.” 228
Laughead became the
biggest booster of Martin’s cosmic communiqués, which consistently reiterated several basic
points. The first of these was that the Guardians were part of a highly advanced civilization.
The Guardians are beings of the UN (intelligence of the Creator; mind of the High Self)
who have risen to the density seven or eight, who are UN as the Oneness with the creator,
who can and do create by the UN the casement or vehicle they choose to use in the
seen...We are like the human beings of Earth and have much in common; though there
are millions of years difference in our culture, we are still brothers... We have been
learning for millions of years....We know no death, as you do. It is as a cocoon turns into
a moth - very consciously and voluntarily - when we need or desire the change.” 229
The latter statement recalled one of the central promises of Spiritualism– immortality—
and its corollary Gnostic belief in body as shell. Death was merely a change in state. 230
Its only
228 Festinger 39.
229 Festinger 44.
230 That this promise continues to be part of Space Brother lore was dramatically communicated several years ago by
the group suicide of the members of “Heavens Gate”. Readers who recall the events of March 26, 1997 may well
have noted the use of the word “vehicle” to describe the body in one of the preceding messages (“the casement or
vehicle they choose to use”). This was the language used in the videotaped note left by Marshall Applewhite aka
“Bo” aka “Te”. The group had left behind their earthly “vehicles” to go on to the “next level.”
146