The fifth drawing is unusual, in that it combines with the eleventh drawing to form one larger picture. If we’re meant to see a sequence, or narrative (as the numbering implies), then this may be a scene that we return to later. Or, perhaps, the right side is the focus now, and the left side later.
We’re inside something, indicated by a rough semicircle, and an even sketchier line at the back. There’s also a ladder leading out of it, with seven rungs (if number is part of the meaning here). It could be the inside of a UFO, which would make this picture the only one with an explicit reference to UFO culture. However, it could also be a dome, arch, or cave. If we want to continue the Mesopotamian interpretation (which is tastier with at least a grain of salt), I can point out that the Sumerians saw the universe as a closed dome — as did, of course, the authors of Genesis, among others.
We have four beings here. Unless my apophenia is acting up inappropriately, I recognize the couple on the right as the first and fourth creatures from the third drawing. One seems to be female (breasts, skirt, heels), and may have a baby on her back. She also has curious pronged antennae (and different ones from the figure in the third drawing). The creature next to her looks more like an anthropomorphized animal (a bear, maybe?) than a human, and is handling luggage; it may be male, and I read him as the husband. The couple on the left don’t look like any of the beings we’ve seen before. Since we’ve been told that the pictures came from “contactees,” it’s easy to see these two beings as aliens; or, at any rate, as the ones doing the contacting. If so, they’re contacting a family.
Oddly enough I am rereading Mary Poppins Comes Back, Patrick Harpurs History of Imagination, and these drawings by silent contactees concurrently. Harpurs book has put me in mind of possible mythic themes in the drawings, but it’s in MPCB that I find a possible mythic parallel !!! Mrs. Cory and her two gigantic long faced daughters, meet with Mary who, with paste bucket and brush in hand helps them place ladders against the dome of the sky, to glue gilt paper stars in place. ; )
Comment by Patty g — December 30, 2013 @ 9:45 pm
Harpur and Travers! That’s a potent combo. I’ve been meaning to post better scans of these drawings; I’ll get to it after the next couple of deadlines are out of the way…
Comment by Doug — December 31, 2013 @ 12:24 pm
The image to the left of the ladder is certainly curious. As I look at it, I get the impression that it is two beings…then it looks like one being….then I see two again. If it is two, they seem to stick rather close to each other, don’t they?
Siamese or conjoined twins, perhaps?
I wonder if it has anything to do with the very ancient “twin” gods of paleo-mythology…? The twins were the first known anthropomorphic deity(ies) to be worshipped by humans. Previous to them, it had always been anumal forms.
Comment by R.A. — September 2, 2014 @ 4:19 am