By Lauren Carlson-Vohs

One never quite knows where one’s spiritual musings will lead, as I was so amusingly reminded last week. Stephen Hawking – the renowned British physicist, was quoted in the news recently as saying it probably isn’t a good idea to try to contact extraterrestrials since they likely would be “nomads, looking to conquer and colonize.” Too late, the same news story reported, we’re already beaming signals into space regularly to attempt contact.

At first I was surprised that someone of Hawking’s stature would
even be entertaining the idea – publically, at least. However, upon reading further into the article, “For better – or worse – E.T.’s been invited,” (Star Tribune, April 29, 2010) I learned the matter has been receiving much more attention than I was ever aware of.

In fact, NASA actually held a conference about 20 years ago to discuss what, if any, communications should be attempted. I also learned of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, Calif., whose approach has been to listen for distinguishable signals from outer space for more than a quarter century – though to no avail yet. (I had to chuckle when the image of the Maytag repairman commercial came to mind.)

In January of this year, The Royal Society in London hosted a conference about the search for extraterrestrial life which attracted many international participants. Among such scientists, there seems to be general agreement that extraterrestrial beings very likely exist, it’s just a matter of acquiring the science to find them. And of course, there is much speculation, such as Hawking’s, as to what the nature of these beings would be. If they find us first, consensus is they are smarter than us and that stirs up a lot of fears.

One participant, Paul Davies of the University of Arizona, offered positive reflection in his presentation, “The Eerie Silence: Are We Alone in the Universe?:” “The knowledge that an alien community had endured for eons and overcome the multiple problems that mankind currently faces would rekindle human Utopian dreams and become a strong unifying force on our planet. To know we are not the only sentient beings in a mysterious and sometimes frightening universe would provide a dramatic message of hope for mankind.”

Obviously, it is all speculation, yet it does offer us a chance to stand back and look at ourselves more objectively, including our faith. How would we react to such beings? How would our spiritual beliefs influence our reactions? How might our worldview be changed?

The powerfully inspiring series, “Symphony of Science” (www.symphonyofscience.com), speaks to the wonder underlying the possibility of it all. In the segment, “We are All Connected,” Carl Sagan expresses it so well: “The cosmos is also within us, we are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” Check out this wonderful series for an uplifting scientific narrative about the universe in which the spoken word is electronically morphed into song.

Hollywood provides us with many examples of how the human imagination creates imagery of what life with extraterrestrial beings might be like, be it “Star Trek,” “Star Wars” or “Avatar” – to name a few. We are presented with the existence of a universal life force, with scenarios where earthlings represent goodness, and others where we are the harmful aggressor. Avatar stands as an example, contrary to Hawking’s fears, where extraterrestrials need to fear humans. It also conjures up the possibility of finding spiritual beliefs different from our own, yet very appealing in this case in their similarity to Native American spiritual beliefs.

What does shape our thoughts? Where do we let our imaginations go? Considering the power thoughts wield for manifesting our future, it would seem we would be well-served to focus on a positive scenario, to hold the well-being of the entire universe in our thoughts and prayers. As in all of life, we are at our best when we operate from a higher consciousness. Perhaps extraterrestrials are able to perceive and attune to our consciousness, thereby strengthening the possibility of a harmonious meeting.

At present, in the absence of a response to signals being beamed out into the universe, we are left to simply be in awe of the universe and all that we are unable to fully comprehend. We hold to faith in our beliefs of one universe, one God, one life force, one infinite intelligence – however one perceives it – to be at work in the cosmic existence of all living beings. And maybe, especially if we clean up our act here on Earth, extraterrestrials may give us a call or drop in for a visit. Coffee’s on, come in peace.

Spiritual writer Lauren Carlson-Vohs shares this space with Dr. Bernard E. Johnson and the Revs. Michael Miller, Rod Anderson and Timothy A. Johnson. “Spiritually Speaking” appears weekly.