Classic Mysteries—Alternate Perceptions Magazine, December 2014
Betty Hill and Nova Scotia’s Cross of Tatamagauche
by: Brent Raynes
Betty had written to a parapsychologist stating that I was the only ufologist she knew personally who was “interested in the psychic aspects of UFOs.” This was certainly an area of intense focus in our correspondence, private conversations (often at her home) and case work together. However, my friend and colleague Dr. Berthold Schwarz, a noted psychiatrist who was intensely interested in the connection between UFOs and the paranormal, interviewed Betty Hill on a number of occasions and included some of her stories in his two volume book UFO Dynamics.
In the course of our association, Betty described quite a few psychic experiences, though early on in January 1976 when the subject initially came up between us she described taking a recent psychic development course and being essentially zero psychic. During that initial meeting, there had been a recent flurry of local UFO activity, of which three policemen were part of one report, plus Betty and a friend had also reported shortly afterwards sighting a possible UFO and Betty said she briefly saw an “upright form with this glowing head” out in a field. When a local investigator (John Oswald) went out into the field later that same night to look for any trace evidence (of which none was found) Betty then determined, by comparing John’s height to that of what she remembered of the figure, that it must have been approximately 6 feet tall. John was present during my initial visit and when Betty had stepped out of the room briefly he leaned forward in his chair and cautioned me that although independent testimony indicated that there was significant UFO activity around the time of Betty’s recent experience, she had also been known to mistake regular aircraft and such as UFOs, a fact that I was later to confirm for myself, in July 1976, when Betty and I were skywatching near Kingston and Betty later described seeing a “red fiery appearing object” at a location where I distinctly remembered seeing and identifying only a red light positioned on top of a tower.
That having been said, Betty Hill was a very intelligent, credible, and honest person. She was a former social worker and I could certainly tell that she had genuine love, compassion, and truly cared about people. Many individuals after reporting a dramatic UFO close encounter become what are called “repeaters,” and while some later sightings indeed seem very anomalous, many of these sightings also turn out to have natural explanations. I find it rather understandable that if someone has apparent memories of such a dramatic and frightening close encounter (complete with beings, no less) as described in John Fuller’s book The Interrupted Journey, detailing Betty and her husband Barney’s UFO/abduction experience in September 1961, that lights in the sky are going to naturally have a greater psychological startle reflex for them than for those of us who have no such memories to struggle with, and it was my personal impression that Betty did indeed struggle to define and understand some really anomalous and psychic-splitting memories. Therefore, I never held this “repeater” element against her, and, after all, it is the job of any responsible and objective investigator to face the challenges of trying to separate the signal from the noise, or, shall we say, the wheat from the chaff. It’s our job to be aware and alert to the various challenges and interpretations that may confront us in the data that we analyze.
In a letter from Betty Hill dated August 23, 1977, she shared with me details of a remarkable sounding series of events and experiences she described uncovering during a recent investigation in Nova Scotia. This letter illustrates a variety of some of the truly strange and otherworldly claims and encounters that Betty had come to deal and struggle with, and although she told me that she wasn’t really a religious person she herein proclaims “I saw a miracle myself” and wrote about a situation involving a wide-range of “UFOs, ghosts and miracles.” How do we interpret the many fascinating facets of this situation. Objective verses subjective. Do we look at it from an ET “nuts and bolts” perspective, a Jungian interpretation, spiritual, delusional, or just how? Personally, I prefer the “eclectic” approach when a simple, straight-forward answer is not readily available. Certainly, what Betty shared was a riveting, complex and fascinating accounting and deserves our very thoughtful contemplation.
And so, with no further ado, Betty Hill wrote me the following:
“I have just returned from five days in Nova Scotia and I have had experiences that I will never forget. I am beginning to write these up with the idea of sending my report to FATE. Everything – UFOs, ghosts, and miracles. I saw a miracle myself. Have you heard of the Cross of Tatamagauche? It appeared in the snow on December 28, 1975 and has remained. Snow will not stay on it, grass does not grow, but last Christmas green grass grew there, while the cross was surrounded by deep snows and cold winter weather. Thousands of people have been to see the cross. UFOs fly around in the sky. Blue bouncing ‘lights’. The owner grabbed one light one night after a couple of stiff drinks and while he was carrying his Bible under his arm. It was an object, not an illusion, and it made a sound similar to air being released from a balloon and disappeared. He was burned from his knees up. Not seriously and the burns healed quickly. Also a rock is in the woods and three months it gave out a white substance looking like milk. We decided to split the rock open to see its interior. The next day, a cross appeared on the rock – August 19th. We saw it forming, and it is the same measurement as the big one – 12 by 18 inches, while the big cross is in feet. Needless to say, we left the rock alone.
“UFOs everywhere there. One night some teenagers tried to destroy the cross and on their way home, their car burst into flames and they all died in the fire. Another (time) two men tried to buy the land so they could destroy the cross. Later they went fishing and their bodies were found. Not drowned; they were mangled, all bones broken. Their bodies were taken by the government, put into special boxes and buried in some unknown area – no funeral, no services of any kind. Official report: cause of death unknown. If these are Gods, who needs them?
“I talked with a woman in Truro who may have been captured by a UFO for about an hour. She described them as wearing long white robes. At first, she knew she saw a UFO, watched this at close range, and she found that she had been outdoors more than an hour. She had run out to put some trash in the barrels and then she watched the UFO, and come in. Three months later, she began ‘recalling’ more about the whole experience; how they tried to land in her backyard but were unable to do this, so they landed over in the garden in her neighbor’s land. She tried to get over the fence to go to them, but she was not able to do this – fence was too unsteady. She tried to crawl under the fence and tore her slacks. So she walked around the fence and went in through the gate. She went onboard and saw the craft, saw different ones there. They did different tests, but one was putting her hands in a bowl of a jelly substance. She told them she thought they were going to give her a manicure. When she started having the flashbacks, she became so upset her doctor gave her tranquallizers and suggested psychiatric treatment. She is willing that her experience is known as long as her name does not become known.
“Another, a family in Amherst, parents were awakened during the night by the bedroom being as brightly lighted as daylight and a large humming sound is heard. Then their 8-year-old son is screaming and screaming in hysterics. They ran to his bedroom and he is crying and saying a strange man was in his room. They calmed him and said he was having a nightmare. After awhile they returned to their own room and were about ready to fall asleep when again the bright light, the humming sound, and their son screaming. They ran to his room and he said that two strange men were there and they were angry because he screamed. Their eyes were glowing red (from anger, he said). One held him and the second one made a cross on his stomach. When the parents ran into the room, the men disappeared. They looked – no cross on his stomach. He said it left when the men left. They convinced the boy he was having another nightmare, but he insisted he was not asleep the second time. Later they learned that reports of UFOs in daylight coming down over a park where children played had happened. An interest in children seemed to exist in that area. Since that time, their son’s attitude towards learning has changed. Before he was a fair student not too interested in school. Now he is the top student, loves school, gets upset if he is out of school for a day. Very great motivation in learning, which happened very soon after this experience. Nothing since that time.
“In Nova Scotia, one picture of me shows a brilliant white sparkling light over my head. …I wonder if anything earth-shaking happened on August 19th? Now I have my UFOs, my landing area, and now my Cross. I wonder if this might be a symbol they plan to use in the future – an identification. At Tatamagauche, they have formed a cross in the sky – all UFOs flashing the same color blue lights, over the cross on the ground. Time will tell.”
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