I was scrolling Instagram when a random, possibly AI-generated travel account served up a narration of the poem below. It is titled “Instructions Before Visiting Earth,” by James McCrae. Immediately the opening line grabbed my attention, its language and tone echoing the accounts of the many people who came to Dr. John Mack. He was a Harvard psychiatrist who studied the experiences of people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. I loved listening to both of his books, “Abduction” and “Passport to the Cosmos,” and I highly recommend them. Back to the poem: on the linked source below, there’s a photo of McCrae holding a sign that reads, “The homesick alien in me recognizes the homesick alien in you.” At this point I am very convinced this guy just finished reading Dr. Mack’s books and was inspired to write this poem.

One thing that I like to entertain about the notion of “Source” and being an alien here on our Earth plane is that not all of us are back down here longing to return to Source. Some of us are new souls going through our first incarnation to live and experience the joys and sorrows of being a human. We have our own unique experiences and sensory inputs that we are building up during our time here and will eventually contribute to the larger collective consciousness. During our time here we form our own purpose and hopefully make a new personal connection with Source that honors everything in this universe. More on this and my thoughts about reality and consciousness in a future post. For now, enjoy the poem below, it is truly a beautiful piece of work and I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.

In the event that you wake up and find your soul separated from source and manifest into material form, don’t panic. Your condition is only temporary. You have been selected for the opportunity of human incarnation. This 3D simulation is designed to break up the monotony of eternity by giving you a fully immersive experience as a distinct ego identity. Your body will serve as your physical avatar as you navigate a dense and dramatic reality. There will be many distractions causing you to forget your true nature and origin. You will experience a range of emotions from joy to loneliness to despair. But remember – no matter what trials and traumas you encounter, your soul remains perfectly safe. At times you may feel lost or afraid. This is totally normal. If you ever need guidance, simply slow down your busy mind and bring your awareness to the quiet place inside yourself. On this planet, nothing is permanent. People and things will come and go. You will fall in love and form sentimental attachments only to lose everything you hold dear. So cling to nothing too tightly, even yourself, and when it’s time to let go, let go with grace, for nothing is owned, only borrowed. As you walk among the people on the planet, try to be a good guest. Tread lightly. Remember that you are only visiting. Don’t make a mess. Listen more than you speak. Give more than you take. Don’t keep your soft heart locked inside a glass cage, protected from wear and tear. You’ll never make it out alive and time passes quickly. So come back with some battle scars and good stories to tell.

— James McCrae, "Instructions Before Visiting Earth"