The paradox we live under is that, despite the efforts of religion and science, we still know next to nothing about the circumstances of our existence. Everything about it is a mystery. How did the world begin and life arise? What are the sources of our consciousness and culture? Are we alone in the universe, or do we share it with other intelligent beings? If the latter, where are those beings and why do they not get in touch with us? Perhaps they do – perhaps they are the gods, angels, fairies, monsters and 'alien entities' that we have always known about and have sometimes encountered on Earth.

These are confusing questions, tending towards paranoia. The drawback to all metaphysical studies, from cosmological speculation to research on UFOs, is that they bring weirdness into your life and give you the (increasingly well-earned) reputation of being eccentric. It gets worse when you become aware of the conspiracy, on the