Nick Redfern reviews Joshua Cutchin’s A Trojan Feast

Approaching Infinity

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Looks like this one could be interesting. Some excerpts from his review:

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/05/a-trojan-feast-reviewed/

Now and again, a book is published that is destined to become a classic. Granted, it doesn’t happen too often nowadays in Ufology, but when it does, it’s well worth the wait. There is one that falls into that exact category ... This is not some simplistic study of why Bigfoot likes to eat apples or aliens from Zeta Reticuli have a particular taste for strawberry ice-cream. No, this is a book that delves deep into the long and notable history of food-based interaction between us, the human race, and magical and supernatural entities from…well, somewhere.

Cutchin has clearly studied his subject-matter deeply and at length. And, in doing so, he notes that offerings from the others almost always come in several, and clearly delineated, kinds: food (often bland), liquid (very often of a bitter-tasting nature), and pills. Sometimes, it’s a combination. The “food,” however, may not be exactly what it appears to be – which is a thought-provoking issue that the author returns to throughout the pages of his book.

And it’s not just a case of “the aliens” feeding us because they are feeling generous or think we need to pack on a bit more muscle. Nothing quite that simple: the act (and “act” may be a very appropriate word to use) of presenting us with food appears to help and dictate how the encounter both commences and, more often than not, concludes.

Jacques Vallee’s Passport to Magonia did a fine job of noting the parallels between today’s alien encounters and centuries-old interaction with the faeries, the “wee folk” of times long gone. Cutchin, however, takes things to a whole new level as he notes the incredible similarities that exist between food offerings then and now – and provided to us by entities that many might assume have no connection, but which so obviously do.

The usually bland nature of the food provided by today’s extraterrestrials has its parallels in the food of the faeries, which was made to appear and taste enriching and delicious – but, in reality, was nothing of the sort: it was all a ruse. As for why such theatrical games are played, this gets to the heart of the puzzle.

Cutchin suggests that food offerings become a part of the experience because the phenomenon – which is so strange and alien and to the point of being almost beyond comprehension – “prefers symbolism and mythology as the currency of conversation.” This is a very important statement that is absolutely central to the overall story.
...
Sleep paralysis comes into play in Cutchin’s quest for the truth, too: he notes that an imbalance of electrolytes in the human body may provoke such night-time terrors. As Cutchin also notes, one of the most common such electrolytes in our diet is sodium. The less salt, the less the body is plunged into a fear-filled state of paralysis. He asks: “Could the folklore of salt repelling faeries be grounded in a much more pragmatic solution for avoiding sleep paralysis?” Indeed, it’s an important question, as salt is something that crops up on a number of occasions in A Trojan Feast.

Cutchin also speculates – but in a logical and well-reasoned fashion – on how these things might really dine: possibly on the “foyson,” or the energy of food. The possibility that absorption through the skin plays a significant role in the ingestion and digestion of food by seemingly magical entities is also discussed at length. Absorption and foyson are also issues that have a bearing on the controversial issue of what Bigfoot eats – or, maybe, doesn’t eat.
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So-called entity foods, Cutchin suggests, may be nothing less than entheogens – hallucinogenic substances that provoke profound, vision-like experiences in rituals of a shamanic variety. This all leads seamlessly into matters relative to DMT, ayahuasca, and how what many might assume are simply vivid hallucinations are actually glimpses of other realities. Quite possibly, they are realities in which our many and varied visitors of the non-human type originate. Such foods may also provoke changes in consciousness, purely as a result of the power of suggestion – very much like the placebo effect.
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Very interesting indeed.
What caught my attention is this passage:
Cutchin suggests that food offerings become a part of the experience because the phenomenon – which is so strange and alien and to the point of being almost beyond comprehension – “prefers symbolism and mythology as the currency of conversation.” This is a very important statement that is absolutely central to the overall story.
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Not clear if the book also draws a parallel with more ancient mythology where the encounter with the "gods" often involves drinking or eating something. For example, it is often emphasized not to eat anything in the underworld, among other incidences.

Added: Also, from this passage:
The usually bland nature of the food provided by today’s extraterrestrials has its parallels in the food of the faeries, which was made to appear and taste enriching and delicious – but, in reality, was nothing of the sort: it was all a ruse. As for why such theatrical games are played, this gets to the heart of the puzzle.
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one wonders if what they are symbolically offering is not the false, the fake and the lies.
 
Re: Nick Redfern reviews Joshua Cutchin's A Trojan Feast

I just finished reading A Trojan Feast, via Amazon Kindle (a fairly short read with up to 200 pages with 16 chapters), and it was a very interesting read, especially on connections (but it's not a comprehensive work).

Cutchin introduces the book with the case of Astri Olsdatter, who disappeared for five days in June 1720, which sets an example of a trend that has endured for many centuries where human beings are insistently offered food by entities. Then, he talked about food taboo, where one eats a food from the faerie realm would be trapped in that realm and cannot "return home" - that warning is evident in many traditions and mythologies. The idea of eating anything from another realm would "entrap" one in that realm is interesting, makes me think of some frequency match or some sort of energy gravitation to that realm by partaking their foods.

The further chapters are broken down into lore (tales/stories/accounts on Faeries, ET, Bigfoot), food (liquid, fruits, bread, pills), and connections (on Sattvia diet, sleep paralysis, sexuality, absorption, entheogens, eating the God). For this book, the author collected roughly 350 folklore and eyewitness accounts, but it would seem that these deal with more on faeries and aliens rather than Bigfoot (the latter has very few reports). I won't go through point by point of this book, but I'll make a couple quick notes:

On food trend, he found:

More than 60% of eyewitness accounts collected involve liquids, especially fruit juice. The next most common entity foods are fruits/ vegetables, followed closely by grain products, pills, and, least often, meat and cheese. Meat is exceedingly rare and often rare when it appears. Abductees most often describe liquids; contactees most often describe liquids, fruits, and grain products; faeries witnesses describe liquids and grain products; and Sasquatch witnesses note fruits/ vegetables and meat.
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Across the cases and stories, the foods aren't what they appear to be. For an example, seeing the food is different from what they tasted like.

The chapter on liquids is disturbing and apparently, the most common liquids being given by faeries and aliens are milk, fruit juices, and alcohol. The author points out that liquid is more "pronounced effect" than food in regards to experiencing amnesia, unconsciousness, or sleepiness after consumption. In many cases, they'd forget what happens next and would remember being back home or somewhere hours later.

It's also been pointed out that meat is a very rare mention among the reports.

The author concludes that the food exchanged between entities and humans are limited to liquids (milk and juices), fruits & vegetables and bread. He connects these groupings to a sattvic diet, which he points out the corresponding foods:

Sweet fruits and their juices, dairy products, honey, grains (especially wheat and barley), most nuts and seeds, vegetables (esp. beans, peas, rice, leafy greens, squash), fresh nuts & seeds, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets
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And, tastes like:

Fresh, sweet, tasty
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And, he points out that the alleged effects of this diet leads to clairvoyance, where one becomes more like a seer or a "holy man" with psychic abilities, which minor new-found psychic abilities were found among the abduction cases.

As the author summarizes:

When foods appear in entity encounters, they tend to correspond to the sattvic diet; and second, that both a sattvic diet and entity encounters can lead to self-reported spiritual enlightenment.
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That diet apparently changed the abductee's frequency for those entities to do whatever they want.

Below is the author's conclusions:

Anyone researching these topics weaves a tangled web of connections, a web whose center we have at last reached. The facts surrounding unexplained phenomena touch each other with so much frequency in such a complex fashion that it is sometimes impossible to arrange the data in a clear and concise manner and yet, for all the undeniable trends and coincidences, we are so often left with nothing to show for it - nothing besides the nagging feeling that one more book, one more report, might somehow blow the lid off of everything and reveal the true nature of things. Now, at the end of this study, I have no more concrete answers than those I began with.

Your guess, as they say, is as good as mine.

All this being said, I personally feel as though this study strongly supports the following statements:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Entities - particularly aliens and faeries - give food on a semi-regular basis in encounters.
[*]The food taboo, which claims that eating entity food results in imprisonment, is more symbolic than literal.
[*]Entity food causes amnesia. Eating or drinking it is often the final act described by witnesses. On the rare occasion that it does not mark the end of an encounter, entity food instead is administered at the very beginning of the experience, explicitly facilitating the interaction.
[*]The appearance of entity food roughly corresponds to that of foods considered sattvic in ayurvedic tradition. This is the diet preferred by Vedic mystics and clairvoyants.
[*]Entities tend to give liquids more often than any other food.
[*]These entities are closely associated with liquid. This association is sometimes metaphoric and, in a handful of cases, sometimes literal. This connection is reinforced by how often drinks are given to witnesses by entities.
[*]There is a strong indication that entities do not consume in a normal terrestrial fashion via the mouth. While no one theory may be correct, the Absorption Theory, the concept of foyson, and the manner in which faerie food is revealed to be debris cloaked in glamour all support this claim.
[*]Because they do not seem to consume in an earthly manner, it seems unlikely that these entities are offering actual food and more likely that they are offering some sort of simulacra, "food mirages," if you will.
[/list]

Let us couple these points with a few facts:
[list type=decimal]
[*]The psychedelic compound Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is produced in the human body.
[*]When active in substantial doses, DMT can cause visions that closely mirror entity encounters.
[*]Individuals under the influence of DMT have accepted food from non-human intelligences.
[*]DMT is the active ingredient in the drink ayahuasca, a drink that is at once plant, god, and liquid.
[*]"Eating the god" is an archetypal concept wherein the power of a deity is bestowed upon those who consume it.
[/list]

My research has led me to propose the following hypothesis:

Extraterrestrial, spiritual, or interdimensional intelligences which exist in other realms can interact with human beings by altering chemical compounds (e.g. DMT) in the brain, leading to altered states of consciousness. In order to facilitate these changes in neural chemistry, these entities often draw upon the human race's rich symbolism of food and drink, offering "food mirages" which elicit a change in consciousness in the observer. These simulacra are directly projected into the mind, an extension of the entity itself ("eating the god"), and are used to initiate, strengthen, sustain, or - most commonly - end an encounter.
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Much of this hypothesis owes a debt to the efforts of researchers like Hancock and Hanks, whose work has suggested that DMT and similar psychoactive compounds may facilitate interactions with paranormal intelligences, acting as a sort of medium through which these beings can communicate. The theory is not without its strengths: it handily answers why concrete proof of mysterious beings has eluded investigators for centuries while simultaneously explaining why so many encounters feature a deeply personal psychological component. What you see in these experiences is what you bring to the table.

In my hypothesis these beings - as well as any craft they are piloting, clothes they are wearing, or food they are offering - are made manifest via DMT. Following this logic, these food mirages are in a sense composed of the same "material" as the entities themselves, and when they are symbolically consumed by witnesses they are in essence "eating the god." Rather than entities giving us a literal piece of themselves, they are instead using symbolism to administer a dose of the same medium that allows them to appear to us in the first place. Using these food mirages, nonhuman intelligences can exert control of the mind through allegory, a mechanism to regulate the experience of the observer.

How could non-physical food regulate the flow of DMT in the human mind?

Suggestion is a powerful thing, and any entity wishing to initiate some type of change in a person would be well served to couch cues and triggers in the form of food. After all, we expect anything consumed to have some sort of affect upon us: coffee gives us energy; wine relaxes us; chocolate bars make us happy. How strong would that cause-effect relationship be if implanted directly into the mind?

Setting aside the possibility that these entities can directly interface human brain chemistry, the importance of pure symbolism to human consumption is still strong. Consider recent findings in the field of placebo research, where sugar pills have occasionally exhibited an efficacy rivaling prescription drugs. Any individual who is told by an authority figure that a substance will have a particular effect on them is more likely to report said effect, regardless of whether the substance is active or not - such is the power of the human brain. Harish Johari's words have never been truer: "As you eat, so is your mind; As is the food, so is your mind."
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I will definitely check this book out via my Kindle

The offering of food to mortals reminds me of the Victorian-era Goblin's Market poem wherein maidens are advised not to partake of the fruit offered by the demons or be doomed.
 
Fascinating! I'll definitely add this to my kindle as well. Passport to Magonia is also one I want to read soon.

All the foods listed are sugar! (a little meat) And, of course, sugar is so high in the worlds diet. I followed a macrobiotic diet for awhile and sugar is considered very yin as is alcohol and drugs. Being in such a yin state would certainly make a person more prone, receptive to be influenced by or see the "unseens" . But there's more to the story it seems.
 
Yes, fascinating to think about. Thanks AI, and to Zadius for offering further excerpts - "food mirages" was interesting. This subject could (perhaps it does) bring up many biblical reference around food, too.
 
voyageur said:
Yes, fascinating to think about. Thanks AI, and to Zadius for offering further excerpts - "food mirages" was interesting. This subject could (perhaps it does) bring up many biblical reference around food, too.
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Yeah, the obvious one would be the serpent tricking Eve into eating fruit from the forbidden tree. The Snow White fairy tale also comes to mind.
 
Fascinating, thanks for this book AI! :D


The talk about salt not being included in "faerie food" is kind of interesting. In shamanic traditions which make use of the psychoactive brew ayahuasca, salt is used to bring someone down from the high of the medicine. Ayahuasca is a brew made from the plant Banisteriopsis caapi (known in Quechua languages as the spirit vine or liana of the dead) and a combination of other plants which contain the psychoactive/entheogenic alkaloid DMT. B. caapi supplies alkaloids which act as monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. MAO is an enzyme in our stomachs which oxidizes/destroys akaloids we consume, which would otherwise function as neurotransmitters and alter our brain chemistry. B. caapi blocks this enzyme, and allows the exogenous DMT from other plants to affect our brains and induce spiritual experiences. Salt biochemically interferes with the MAO inhibition in the ayahuasca, destroying the DMT before it has a chance to enter our bloodstream.
 
Thanks for the referral, and have now finished the book, which overall was an interesting read. Like Keel et al, Cutchin recounts some of the same stories and many different ones - with his focus, as discussed above in this thread.

While reading, took notes of some of what he was saying and the information I was not familiar with. Of Sasquatch, near the end he says he is basically open to the "interdimensional" aspects, yet still "favor's the flesh-and blood hypothesis". Would have been interesting if he had tied in some of what David Paulides, author of 411 missing, had to say.

He asks many question and rightly does not profess to have the answers. Questions surrounding entity food: oral humiliation? and allies deal in deception, theater and metaphor. He also spent some time talking about Ayurveda (lacto vegetarian diet) i.e. in terms of Sattvic diets focused on the three Gunas, which he discusses as "basic tendencies used to describe all behaviors and natural phenomena in Bhagavad Gita..." Of the three Gunas 1. Tamas (darkest and most negative associated with lethargy and entropy), 2. Rajas (change and action), 3. Sattva (purest - balance and order); and he offers a table of these foods. It becomes clear that meat is not part of the desired food that entities provide or want, and he offers further along the story of Karla Turner and the pot roast she had cooking - giving thanks to the animal that provided it.

He brings up briefly "lead poising" - being not uncommon with those who discuss encounters with aliens - metallic taste in their mouths and their aliments. Further on the salt aspect, he recounts the story of trench warfare at Ypres, Aug 1915 - and salt solution offered by a humanoid who walked out of the gas cloud (assuming mustard gas). Those that took it survived and of course the humanoid disappeared.

He brings up the story of Mrs. Hingley from Rowley Regis, England interacting with 3.5 ft beings - she entertained them and gave them water and minced pie and then demonstrated how to smoke a cigarette - they fled. ;)
-
 
voyageur said:
While reading, took notes of some of what he was saying and the information I was not familiar with. Of Sasquatch, near the end he says he is basically open to the "interdimensional" aspects, yet still "favor's the flesh-and blood hypothesis". Would have been interesting if he had tied in some of what David Paulides, author of 411 missing, had to say.
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I find it interesting that so many authors and researchers think it's simply an either-or situation. Either something is 'flesh-and-blood/nuts-and-bolts' and it exists entirely in our 'dimension' on earth; or it is some kind of ethereal, spirit-like non-material 'something'. Well, why not a 'flesh-and-blood' being that is ALSO hyper/inter-dimensional? What makes us think that we are the highest and only type of biology in the universe?
 
Approaching Infinity said:
voyageur said:
While reading, took notes of some of what he was saying and the information I was not familiar with. Of Sasquatch, near the end he says he is basically open to the "interdimensional" aspects, yet still "favor's the flesh-and blood hypothesis". Would have been interesting if he had tied in some of what David Paulides, author of 411 missing, had to say.
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I find it interesting that so many authors and researchers think it's simply an either-or situation. Either something is 'flesh-and-blood/nuts-and-bolts' and it exists entirely in our 'dimension' on earth; or it is some kind of ethereal, spirit-like non-material 'something'. Well, why not a 'flesh-and-blood' being that is ALSO hyper/inter-dimensional? What makes us think that we are the highest and only type of biology in the universe?
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Indeed, and you added they "hyper" aspect to the mix. As for the bolded section, I can only conclude that it is the materialist scientific stance/influence that never leaves the central theme of study - it's perhaps like a containment field for ideas amongst a very narrow spectrum of knowns. It seems to me that if we seriously studied the causative factors of the paranormal as one body rather than splitting it all up, while at the same time abating the materialist reins that are held so dear, if this was done, if people suddenly realized the implications of the totality of the situation we find ourselves within - good god, those findings likely would be explosive to the human race. However, osit, it might also give the human race the courage to break the shackles of our reality and realy learn in a whole new way; which would be frighting for the usual suspects to lose their food. Hence their locking-down with diversions of all these strange uncomfortable subjects.
 
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