The Basement: Jeffrey Kripal | Inside the Archives of the Impossible
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Summary
Religious studies scholar Jeffrey Kripal sits down with AJ Gentile of The Why Files to discuss his life, his work, and the Archives of the Impossible at Rice University. The collection holds Jacques Vallée's files, John Mack's alien abduction research, and thousands of letters readers sent to Whitley Strieber. Kripal describes a mysterious experience in Calcutta in 1989 that shaped nearly forty years of his writing, and he shares a story he has never put in print.
Key takeaways
- 1Jeffrey Kripal grew up in Tornado Alley and tried to fast his way to sainthood as a teenager
- 2Kripal had a transformative, unexplained experience in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1989 that he has written about for nearly 40 years
- 3The Archives of the Impossible holds Jacques Vallée's files and John Mack's abduction research
- 4The archive also contains thousands of letters strangers sent to Whitley Strieber after 'Communion'
- 5Kripal discusses science fiction as modern mythology, including Jack Kirby and Philip K. Dick
- 6Kripal is featured in 'ArchiveX: Unexplained Phenomena' on AMC+ and discusses his final trilogy
Glossary terms
Source
Cite this page
The Why Files, “The Basement: Jeffrey Kripal | Inside the Archives of the Impossible,” Oct 19, 2026. Indexed by Fringe Index: https://fringeindex.com/item/the-basement-jeffrey-kripal-inside-the-archives-of-the-impossible. Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmLPOMwv_GI