title: The Omega Project: Near-Death Experiences, Ufo Encounters, and Mind at Large
author:  Kenneth Ring 
description: Ring, author of Life at Death (Quill: Morrow, 1982), compares the experiences of UFO abductees to the out-of-body journeys of those near death. Initially, his title seems misleading. He mixes a few archetypes and fairy tales with some philosophy and religion, the result of which is a theory regarding the "encounter-prone personality." This type of person represents the spiritual evolution of humankind, people who are tapped into the "Mind at Large"--i.e., a creative, helpful force that will assist us in saving ourselves and our planet from destruction. This book differs from other UFO material in that the question of whether the encounters are real or not is not at issue. The symbolism is what matters, e.g. abductees usually report receiving a physical examination from the aliens. Ring sees this as a warning that we need to examine and to heal ourselves. Loaded with case histories of near-death experiences and UFO encounters, questionnaires, and impressive notes and bibliography, this will appeal to general readers.<br /><i>-Maureen R. Shields, New City Lib., N.Y.</i><br />Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: ALSO	BY	KENNETH	RING
  	
  Heading	Toward	Omega
  Life	at	Death
  
  The	Omega	Project
  	
  Near-Death	Experiences,	UFO	Encounters,	and	Mind	at	Large
  	
  Kenneth	Ring,	Ph.D.
  Foreword	by	Whitley	Strieber
  
  To	Christopher	J.	Rosing,
  without	whose	faithful	friendship,
  dedication,	and	computer	wizardry,
  the	Omega	Project	could	never	have
  been	launched.
  
  PREFACE
  In	January	1987,	I	received	an	unwelcome	package	in	my	mailbox.	I	was	on	my	break	between
  semesters	at	the	university,	and	with	the	Christmas	holidays	recently	concluded	and	my	three
  grown	children	finally	rerouted	to	their	chosen	cities	of	destiny,	I	was	eagerly	looking	forward
  to	 getting	 back	 to	 work	 again.	 Coming	 in	 to	 the	 university	 that	 day,	 however,	 I	 remember	 I
  groaned	audibly	when	I	saw	what	lay	in	wait	for	me	in	the	mail	room.	My	box	was	stuffed	with
  accumulated	 mail,	 as	 expected,	 and	 lying	 atop	 this	 unwelcome	 pile	 was	 a	 large	 mailer	 that
  looked	 decidedly	 as	 if	 it	 were	 the	 container	 of	 still	 another	