CE-5
CE-5 — short for Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind — is the category in the close encounter classification scheme denoting contact that is human-initiated rather than NHI-initiated. The designation extends the original scale developed by astronomer J. Allen Hynek, which enumerated CE-1 (visual sighting at close range), CE-2 (physical trace evidence), CE-3 (observation of occupants), and CE-4 (abduction). CE-5 was added to the taxonomy to accommodate the case in which human contactees — through meditation, coherent thought, structured protocols, or other mechanisms — deliberately establish two-way communication with extraterrestrial or other non-human intelligent beings.
The distinction between CE-5 and lower-numbered close encounters lies in agency: CE-1 through CE-4 describe events that happen to human witnesses, whereas CE-5 describes deliberate human initiation — treating NHI as communication partners rather than as objects of study. The principal modern operational methodology for achieving CE-5 contacts is the CE-5 protocol developed by Steven Greer and the CSETI, which applies meditation, remote viewing techniques, night-vision observation, and electromagnetic signaling.
See also
- CE-5 protocol — Steven Greer / CSETI operational methodology
- Close encounter — full Hynek classification scheme
- Contact with non-human intelligent beings
- CSETI