History of Aliens? Pray you find out (part 1 of 2)

We explore the eerie overlap between alien abduction lore and psychedelic experience — focusing on the mysterious “Mantis” beings. From 1980s abduction research to modern DMT entity studies, the episode traces how insectoid overseers became fixtures of both UFO narratives and altered states. Are they cosmic caretakers, hallucinations, or archetypes of consciousness itself?In this episode, Journey to the Fringe dives deep into one of the strangest intersections of ufology and psychedelia: the rise of the Mantis (or mantid) Alien archetype. These towering, insect‑like figures first appeared in 1980s abduction literature, described by researchers like Budd Hopkins, Karla Turner, and David Jacobs as calm, telepathic overseers directing the smaller Greys. Later, psychiatrist John E. Mack reframed them as consciousness‑based intelligences — symbols of ecological awareness and spiritual transformation rather than literal extraterrestrials.Fast‑forward to modern psychopharmacology, and the same mantis‑like entities re‑emerge in DMT encounter surveys, where thousands report meeting insectoid beings who communicate telepathically and radiate peace. The parallels between abduction accounts and psychedelic visions raise unsettling questions: are these experiences tapping into the same layer of reality, or the same layer of mind?We unpack the cultural evolution of the Mantid — from mythic mantis gods in Africa and Egypt to the “praying mantis alien brain surgeons” of DMT lore — and examine what these stories reveal about human perception, belief, and the boundaries of consciousness.oh ya here is the source I forgot to include in my script: Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects - Alan K Davis, John M Clifton, Eric G Weaver, Ethan S Hurwitz, Matthew W Johnson, Roland R Griffiths, 2020