A Review of The Encyclopedia of Moon Mysteries: Secrets, Conspiracy Theories, Anomalies, Extraterrestrials and More by Constance Victoria Briggs

 

 (Kempton, IL: Adventures Unlimited Press, 2019). ISBN: 978-1-948803-10-6

In the world of ufology, as well as in the even murkier world of fringe and conspiracy theories, there are few subjects as complex and controversial as those concerning our Moon. From its age, to its origins; from its composition (is it hollow?) to its mysterious “Dark Side”; from rumors of astronaut encounters and scrubbed NASA photos; and perhaps most intriguing and likely to get you punched in the mouth by Buzz Aldrin is the accusation that the United States faked the historic moon landing because of Cold War pressures. There is at least one interview with the enigmatic filmmaker Stanley Kubrick where he comes tantalizingly close to admitting he shot the phony footage, even saying that Neil Armstrong’s famous “One small step for man…” line was not as Kubrick had delivered it (more on this video later).

The investigative team I cofounded in early 2021, the Red Thread Collective, did an episode of our podcast on the mysteries of the moon, and it is the subject that we discuss amongst ourselves on an ongoing basis far more than any other. 

Several months ago, when the author of this impressive encyclopedia contacted me about possibly being a guest on my podcast, I readily agreed; and, when she told me about this book, my interest doubled, and I read it with keen interest and learned quite a bit. It is a resource that I will go back to countless times in the course of my research.

My mentor, publisher, and close friend, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, wrote several encyclopedias before her death two years ago. I have worked on several as an academic editor, so I know that vast amounts of research and writing goes into producing them. You must be close to exhaustive with your subject matter, which means knowing your subject very well and being able to don the detective’s deerstalker to follow the breadcrumbs and other trails into which the expanding subject matter pulls you.

Briggs has succeeded in all respects.

I always find it a challenge to make a comprehensive assessment of an encyclopedia in the two pages I allot for a book review. It’s impossible to cover every entry, so the best one can do is provide some highlights and attempt to group material into headings or themes that give a solid overview of what readers can expect. Although we don’t normally read encyclopedias cover to cover, in this case I think you will get a much fuller picture of just how mysterious is the moon by doing so.

From the start, the data cluster that struck me hardest was how nearly every moon mission had at least one report or photo about anomalous lights, spacecraft, structures (bridges, domes, towers, buildings), mining equipment, or communications (radio signals, “space music,” unknown languages). Those who are not interested in fringe phenomena but are interested in the Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo missions (who was on the crew, what were the mission parameters) will glean a great deal from these sections. There are numerous entries regarding mythology and origin stories (e.g., Zecharia Sitchin and the Annunaki), ancient civilizations (e.g., Atlantis and Lemuria), anomalies in the craters, astronomers and philosophers, the Dark Side of the Moon, examination of ancient writings that say the moon was not always present in orbit around the Earth, and contactees (e.g., George Adamski and Howard Menger).

In several entries, there are timelines of blue light phenomena and other anomalies going back to at least the 1700s. These timelines are invaluable if you are doing your own research and want to gather data concerning as many specific sightings as possible.  

Briggs references numerous books by well-known moon mystery investigators, such as Richard Hoagland and Mike Bara, and provides file numbers for photos from the NASA Moon missions that appear to include evidence of extraterrestrial life, structures, odd lights, and a portal/stargate. Be warned: NASA has done a good job of “scrubbing” (removing undesirable elements of) these photos, as they have done with photos of anomalies on Antarctica, and most of what you will find on the internet for the referenced photos are, frustratingly, the scrubbed versions. You may have to go to books and websites that feature the work of researchers like Hoagland and Bara to view the originals.

I was pleased to see Ingo Swann’s experience of remote viewing the Moon, originally shared in his must-read book Penetration (which, after being out of print, is now again available) included in this encyclopedia. Under the supervision of his government employers (who gave him minimal information at the onset), Swann saw not only structures but also beings staring back at him (which breaks a fundamental expectation of remote viewing: it’s not normally a two-way exchange).

If you’re interested in odd occurrences having to do with the Moon, you won’t be disappointed. The October 2009 moon bombing provokes abundant questions. NASA was supposedly searching for water, but an Indian mission found water on the moon well before this “test.” Were they in truth destroying a perceived enemy or structure? Another oddity is the theory that the moon landing was faked, and Stanley Kubrick was involved in perpetrating the hoax. Consider the sight of a Coke bottle (witnessed by an Australian woman and others) during the Apollo 11 landing. Australia received the live images before anyone else, and some theorists believe that the bottle was scrubbed from later broadcasts. Could the Coke bottle be one of the clues a guilt-ridden Kubrick included? Could it explain the mystery of the waving US flag? Or the letter C on a rock that was later said to be a hair on the lens… one curiosity replaced by another? Here’s some food for thought: Maybe the landings weren’t faked, but Kubrick was hired to film backup or filler in case the cameras failed or to boost the “wow” factor. That’s where I sense the truth. Randy Kramer, who claims to have been part of a Secret Space Program, tells one of the oddest stories. During 20 years as a Marine, he served at installations on the Moon for 3 years and Mars for 17. Next are rumors about Nazis reaching the Moon in the 1940s and having ET contact. How about the iconic Walter Cronkite remarking about a strange box structure on the Moon during a live broadcast, only to have the feed cut? When he returned, he said the lunar rover had photographed itself…

Appendix 1 contains excerpts from NASA transcripts of astronauts reporting anomalies during Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. Appendix 2 is a timeline of reports of anomalous lights. There is a five-page, single-spaced bibliography further demonstrating the author’s depth of research. It is also an opportunity for readers to have some direction for doing research of their own.

Among the strengths of this encyclopedia is that Briggs remains an impartial reporter throughout. Where there might be hoaxes at work (such as the videotaped interview with Kubrick about faking the moon landing), she tells us. Her personal thoughts are (appropriately) nowhere to be found.   

So, whether your interest in the Moon is scientific, casual, or conspiratorial, you will find Constance Victoria Briggs’s The Encyclopedia of Moon Mysteries: Secrets, Conspiracy Theories, Anomalies, Extraterrestrials and More a valuable addition to your library.