Southern California Vol. 13 - The Unarius Academy of Science

Previously we talked about George Adamski.  If you don’t remember (or didn’t read the post), Adamski was a pioneer in the UFO Contactee world who wrote a number of books about how he was contacted and told secrets about the universe by aliens from Venus.  He also started a commune of like-minded individuals near Mt. Palomar.

Now, Adamski may be one of the first people to try to organize a religion of sorts around UFO contact, but he was definitely not the most colorful.  That title would have to go to another San Diego area resident whose efforts to start a contactee “religion” (they hate when it’s called that) paid off so well that it continues to this day.  I’m talking about the Unarius Academy of Science, founded by Ernest and Ruth Norman.  Their headquarters is located in a strip mall in El Cajon (just outside of San Diego). 

Visiting there isn’t something I’d recommend to everyone, but for those of you who do things like volunteer for the free screening by the Scientologists in Hollywood just for the experience, this is your kind of excursion.  It’s also one of the kitschiest places on the planet, so if you like your Las Vegas with a heaping helping of Liberace, this may be the religion for you.

Ernest and Ruth started their contactee group in 1954.  Ernest had been lecturing on the topic of “inner contact” and when he met Ruth, he realized she was the woman who could help him bring this message to a larger audience.  He wasn’t wrong.  She changed her name to Uriel (which stands for Universal Radiant Infinite Eternal Light) and began writing down what Ernest was channeling from these beings beyond the stars.  The result was a philosophy (they are very adamant that it is not a religion) that involves reincarnation, channeling past lives, an alien federation and the preparation for the arrival of our “space brothers”. 

That latter part concerns the imminent arrival of aliens who will bring us up to speed in matters of science, technology and ethics so that we can join the intergalactic federation of planets.  The Unarians have even purchased the site where the spaceships will land and they maintain it while we all wait.  You can thank them yourselves when you visit.

My favorite part of this is that the spaceships will arrive and stack on top of each other, becoming a tower of learning (a shining university of spacely knowledge).

Now, the Unarians don’t believe in death.  They believe that we just transition from one life to the next and so when Ernest transitioned in 1971, Ruth/Uriel stepped things up a notch.  Here’s where the kitsch comes in.  She began wearing flowing satin robes, a crown and began carrying a scepter and a single rose.  The “research” by the Unarians uncovered that she had led many past lives and was actually a reincarnation of Socrates, Queen Elizabeth, Confucious and others.  In fact, they found that she was also a reincarnation of Mona Lisa and that Ernest was a reincarnation of Da Vinci, which is why he painted her.

Makes sense, I guess.

Anyway, that outlandish sense of style that Uriel had carried over to the Unarius Academy of Science as well.  Inside, you’ll find columns, statues and an abundance of awesome paintings as well as a model of what the futuristic city will look like once those spaceships finally get here.

If you’re wondering about whether we can expect the Unarians to do something like that Heaven’s Gate group did and kill themselves, well fear not.  The Unarian beliefs warn strongly against suicide.  Instead, they believe that by studying and dedicating yourself to looking inward, you’ll be able to contact the aliens yourself and will be prepared for the next phase once you “transition”.

I don’t know about all that, but I do know that they have a kickass 1968 El Dorado, so they can’t be all bad.