Finding Community Among the Stars: The Rise of Extraterrestrial Experiencers

In a modest home in Holtsville, Long Island, Catherine Chapey prepares for what has become a cherished ritual—a virtual gathering of individuals who believe they’ve had encounters with extraterrestrial beings. As the clock approaches 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, Chapey, a former electrician turned “interspiritual minister,” readies herself to host what began as a small library meeting and has evolved into an international community with thousands on her mailing list. Participants beam in from as far as Japan and New Zealand, all seeking the same thing: connection with others who understand their otherworldly experiences. For Chapey and her fellow “Experiencers,” these virtual sessions represent more than just meetings—they’re a sanctuary where stories of abductions, telepathic communications, and cosmic enlightenment are met not with skepticism, but with affirmation and understanding.

The timing of tonight’s meeting coincides with heightened public interest in the cosmos, specifically 3I/Atlas—an interstellar object streaking through our atmosphere that has ignited widespread speculation about potential extraterrestrial origins. This celestial visitor has become the evening’s focal point, with each participant offering their unique interpretation. Kevin, a 71-year-old Florida Realtor who reports his first alien encounter at age 8, believes Atlas is “being programmed with consciousness.” Funda, a medical worker who identifies as an “ET-human hybrid,” shares her experience of being taken to Uranus and examined by gray-skinned beings with black eyes. Others like Terry confidently suggest Atlas might be a spacecraft—perhaps even one she’s personally boarded—while Mel, a mental health worker, proposes that the object’s gradual approach is intentional, designed to “upgrade our consciousness” without overwhelming human minds. These perspectives might sound outlandish to outsiders, but within this digital gathering, they’re received with respectful attention and gratitude.

For many participants, this group represents their only outlet for discussing experiences they consider profoundly transformative but that mainstream society often dismisses. Mary from New York’s Finger Lakes region reveals that when she cautiously mentioned someone she knew having ET contact to longtime friends, they immediately questioned what medications that person might be taking—never suspecting she was referring to herself. Chapey understands this isolation all too well, explaining that such experiences can cost people their families, friends, and credibility. “When you go through something like this, people drop out of your life,” she notes. “They think you’re crazy, you’ve lost it… It’s hard, because you feel like, ‘Oh, wow, you can’t really talk about something that was so profound.'” This shared sense of alienation—ironically enough—creates a powerful bond among the group members, who find validation in each other’s stories that the outside world refuses to provide.

Interestingly, while the Experiencers’ views on Atlas might once have been confined to the fringes, they’re now finding unexpected alignment with some scientific speculation. The object’s unusual characteristics—its non-gravitational acceleration, its anti-tail pointing toward rather than away from the sun, and its bizarre trajectory toward Jupiter, Venus, and Mars—have led even prominent scientists like Harvard’s Avi Loeb to theorize it could be an alien probe. This scientific consideration stands in stark contrast to NASA’s official stance that Atlas is simply a comet with expected characteristics. The timing couldn’t be more opportune for those in Chapey’s circle, as public acceptance of extraterrestrial possibilities has never been higher. According to YouGov polling, belief in UFO sightings has jumped dramatically from 20% in 1996 to 34% in 2022, with nearly a quarter of Americans now claiming personal UFO sightings. This mainstreaming of what was once considered fringe belief has been accelerated by official acknowledgments like the Department of Defense’s 2020 release of Navy footage showing unexplained “tic tac” objects—developments that Chapey credits for the growing openness to experiences like hers.

Chapey’s own journey into this realm began with what she describes as “a big awakening in 2008” when celestial beings allegedly prepared her for her “work in the world.” She recounts experiences ranging from seeing “feline faces” in her backyard shed to a healing visit from an inter-dimensional “Sasquatch” that supposedly teleported through a portal in a nearby tree to cure her headache. These encounters, she believes, were preparatory guidance for her current role supporting others through spiritual awakenings. In 2019, Chapey formalized her spiritual calling by completing an intensive seminary program at the Gathering of Light, a multi-faith organization in Melville, NY, whose philosophy embraces the notion that “each human being is an individual expression of Divinity in physical form, and as such, we are all One.” Since her ordination, she has dedicated herself to helping spiritual experiencers feel neither alone nor crazy, finding purpose in her own unusual life journey: “This is what I’m supposed to be doing. So all of the things that I’ve been through in my life were purposeful. It was for a reason.”

Not everyone in the broader UFO community shares Chapey’s enthusiasm about Atlas or extraterrestrial visitations. Dennis Anderson, a former member of the Center for UFO Studies and investigator of phenomena like the “Arthur Kill Lights” of 2001, takes a more cautious approach. Despite having witnessed unexplained aerial phenomena himself, Anderson remains firmly skeptical about Atlas, stating, “Every picture I’ve seen, it’s got a coma and a tail, which means, you know, it is a comet. I don’t believe it’s anything else.” Drawing on 63 years in the UAP field, he warns against self-proclaimed “experts” who claim detailed knowledge of numerous alien civilizations, advising people to “stop reading it and run the opposite direction” when encountering such claims. Yet such skepticism does little to dampen Chapey’s optimism or her conviction that validation is coming soon. She confidently predicts, “Within the next couple years, people are going to be very aware that we are not the only ones. And there is absolutely nothing to fear.” For Chapey and her growing circle of Experiencers, the arrival of Atlas represents not just a celestial event but potentially the vindication they’ve been seeking—a cosmic confirmation of the extraordinary encounters that have shaped their lives and brought them together across vast distances to share their stories.