Observations placeholder
Bayless, Raymond - The whispering voices of the Navajo reservation near Tuba City, a shared hallucination
Identifier
026390
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
For convenience I have placed this observation under Attila von Szalay, as the two men worked together.
A description of the experience
Experiences of a Psychical researcher – Raymond Bayless
I believe it was the year 1953 that Mr. Ceil Smith and I made a trip into the Monument Valley area in Utah and other remote spots-remote, that is, at that time. The roads were mere trails in places, and the most primitive conditions prevailed. Unfortunately, all that is changed today.
We camped in the Navajo reservation some few miles from Tuba City, and it was there that we experienced a very puzzling and curious occurrence. I must first mention to the reader that in those years this area was extremely isolated and at night, in particular, no cars passed by. In consequence, if any peculiar incident took place, one did not have to worry about passers-by being the cause. One was simply surrounded for miles and miles by an empty desert.
We had pulled off the road and pitched a tent, cooked our supper, and, after a period of conversation, decided that we would retire. The sun had been down for some time; there was no moon; the desert was incredibly black. I stepped outside the tent for one last check of our encampment and, when I was ten or fifteen feet from the tent, I suddenly became aware that I was hearing whispering voices.
I listened carefully and heard the sound of what seemed to be more than one person talking. The voices sounded as though they were whispered, but that may have been because they were greatly muted. I could not make out one word but, at the time, decided that human speech was being heard. I returned to the tent and told Mr. Smith about this fantastic happening and he, in turn, stepped outside the tent. Soon he returned and said that he too had heard these weird and utterly mysterious voices.
I can offer no explanation for this incident but just offer it to the reader as a most strange and eerie occurrence. Of one thing I am convinced; that is, that there was absolutely no one within miles of our lonely camp and the “voices" were certainly not due to anyone speaking close- by. Further, the voices did seem to be within a few feet or me-at least that was my impression-and the whispery quality did seem abnormal. It was indeed a curious and baffling experience.