Crystal skull conference convenes in Tempe

Bill Homann, custodian of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull.                       (photo:  Larry Lowe)

An unprecedented gathering of mysterious artifacts will convene this week at the World Mysteries Conference in Tempe, offering the Arizona UFO student a rare opportunity no only to learn of the history, myth and legend associated with the real crystal skulls but to experience the effect of their presence first hand. The highlight of the conference will be the most powerful and inexplicable of them all--the famous Anna Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, displayed in a lecture by caretaker Bill Homann.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull is an anatomically correct life size skull with a moving jaw carved by unknown means out of a single block of clear quartz. It was discovered in 1924 by Anna Le Guillon Mitchell-Hedges, adopted daughter of British adventurer and popularist author F.A. Mitchell-Hedges.

According to Wikipedia, "F. A. Mitchell-Hedges mentioned the skull only briefly in the first edition of his autobiography, Danger My Ally (1954), without specifying where or by whom it was found. He merely claimed that "it is at least 3,600 years old and according to legend was used by the High Priest of the Maya when performing esoteric rites. It is said that when he willed death with the help of the skull, death invariably followed."

New-age oral tradition implies the possibility that some crystal skulls may have come from the stars, although skeptics have attributed the origin to more prosaic sources, including German crystal cutters.  That, along with the results of various tests, has shrouded the true origins of the Mitchell-Hedges skull in controversy.

Whatever the case, two things are true about the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull:

1) It is a tour-de-force of fabrication process not understood to this day--there are no visible fabrication markings on the surface of the skull other than a few marks around the teeth and it is implausible to imagine bronze age meso-american indians forged this single artifact with hand tools.

2) The effect of the Mitchell-Hedges skull upon those sensitive to ephemeral energy is palpable and undeniable. Not all who are exposed to the skull react to it and not all that do have the same experience. But those attuned to the subtle energies of consciousness who do respond to the Mitchell-Hedges skull tell you without equivocation that something perceptible emanates from the enigmatic artifact.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull does remarkable things with light and even a subtle variation on lighting conditions or viewing angle results in a noticeable change in the internal reflections. See the accompanying slide show for examples of various effects. It is difficult to take a really good photograph of the clear crystal--few convey the visual intrigue of the artifact when viewed in person. As is the case with personal reaction to the Skull, it cannot be adequately described; you have to experience it or witness it to appreciate the effect of a close encounter with a genuine Crystal Skull.

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Legends of the crystal skulls are many and varied but the general idea is that their origins are lost to contemporary history. According to legend, not all of the true skulls are accounted for and some remain to be discovered. Embedded in the vast crystalline structure of the skulls is information and energy patterns that will be triggered when the full number of authentic ancient skulls are gathered in one place. What will happen then is anyone's guess.

While not all known crystal skulls will be in Tempe this week -- one each is in the possession of the Smithsonian and the British Museum -- the World Mysteries Conference may be the largest gathering of crystal skulls in modern times, including in addition to Homann and the Mitchell-Hedges skull, 'Sam' presented by Jaap van Ettenm, Ph.D; 'Synergy' presented by Sherry Whitfield; 'Rosie' presented by Mexico's Jamie Maussan; 'Nagak'u' presented by Mayan shaman Hunbatz Men; 'Maya' presented by Jane Doherty; 'Rainbow' presented by DaEl Walker and 'Bob' presented by conference organizer Cece Stevens.

Such a large gathering of skulls in one room -- as will be the case on Wednesday evening -- may be an opportunity for synergistic effects to become more pronounced. Sources who track such things report that conscious energies affecting the planet have recently increased and as a result, according to one source, crystals have been activated and thus so will human consciousness.

One of the small delights for the crystal skull aficionado is the notion that crystal skulls have the ability to interact with one another and, in effect, charge themselves in the presence of other, more powerful skulls. While the value of a true crystal skull such as the Mitchell-Hedges skull is incalculable, much smaller skulls are available for the individual wanting to maintain some of the mysterious energy in their lives. True crystal skulls are carved out of clear quartz but the popular smaller personal skulls come in a variety of minerals. The personal skulls do not have the anatomically correct detail of a Mitchell-Hedges skull -- few do, which makes the Mitchell-Hedges skull all the more unique. Rather the personal skulls have a kind of caricature look to them that no doubt is in part a result of an easily replicated fabrication process.

Tucson's Sherry Whitfield offers a selection of personal skulls which she has 'charged' by keeping them in proximity to her skull Synergy. If there is anything to the effect, bringing a personal skull to the conference and exposing it to the assembled large skulls should be an effective means to gain personal access to whatever mysterious energies or information the skulls may contain.

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In addition to a substantial native american oral tradition, the crystal skulls have carved out -- if you will pardon the pun -- a place in modern culture. The most recent and significant example is, of course, the long-awaited fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, which set the aging archeologist on a complicated quest in South America for the location of a hidden temple where he restored to its proper location a crystal skull which triggered the fantastic emergence of a long-buried alien spacecraft.

The television series Stargate SG-1 featured an episode that involved the mystery of a crystal skull, an alien world and the ability in the skull's influence to experience a parallel reality invisible to normal human perception.

Prior to either of these, the big-screen version of the comic book character 'The Phantom', whose personal emblem was a skull, featured a plot that involved a clear crystal, ruby and emerald skull, that, when brought together at the climax of the film, interacted in cosmic fashion to unleash unearthly energies. It's an engaging romp that is worth watching again in the context of the more recent Indiana Jones episode.

What might be truth and what may be fiction in regards to the crystal skulls is not clear. Too much is unknown and undocumented and yet there is genuine mystery surrounding the means of fabrication of the Mitchell-Hedges skull. There may well be more than a grain of truth in the fiction of our times regards these enigmatic artifacts. One's personal truth remains subjective, of course, and it's impossible to know the validity of unseen energies interacting with consciousness--just as it is impossible to explain the same to someone who does not experience them.

Are the Crystal Skulls somehow linked to ancient astronauts from other worlds?  Are they out-of-place artifacts that are evidence of an alternate version of history?

Can they enable perception beyond the constraints of conventional western society's rational box-of-context that does not allow for unknown energies? Or are they merely eccentric curiosities supported by layers of legend?

Answers to those questions are not easy to come by. Like many aspects of the UFO phenomenon, hard, quantifiable evidence is in short supply and some of the information circulating about the skulls is questionable at best. Not all crystal skulls have the same heritage as the Mitchell-Hedges skull, whatever that may be. But, unlike a UFO encounter, a chance to actually see a truly legendary crystal skull is easily arranged. All you have to do is attend this week's conference and judge for yourself.

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