Does a strong match mean the being I met was real?

No. A match means your description lines up with an archetype that many other people have independently reported. Whether the beings exist outside the mind is genuinely unresolved — the convergence across strangers is documented; its explanation is not.

What if nothing matches what I saw?

The identifier covers the fifteen most consistently reported archetypes, but the Atlas documents 40 recurring entity types — and many encounters blend forms or fit none cleanly. Rarer and blended forms are normal, not anomalies.

Where do the match frequencies come from?

From named studies only — chiefly Lawrence et al. (Scientific Reports, 2022; 3,778 reports), Davis et al. (Johns Hopkins, 2020; N=2,561), and Michael, Luke & Robinson's naturalistic field study (2021). Every number is traceable on the evidence page.

✦ Encounter Identifier ✦

What did I meet?

People who have never met describe strikingly similar beings. Answer a few questions about what you encountered, and this will mirror it to the archetypes others most commonly report — with how often, and who documented it.

A reflection of the reports — not a diagnosis, and not a claim these beings are literally real. Your experience is your own.

The archetypes this tool can mirror

The identifier scores your description against the fifteen most consistently reported entity archetypes in the Atlas — the figures that strangers, across decades of independent written accounts, keep describing without having compared notes. The frequencies below come from the two largest datasets: Lawrence et al.'s analysis of 3,778 written reports (Scientific Reports, 2022) and the Johns Hopkins survey of 2,561 encounters (Davis et al., 2020). Every figure is traceable on the evidence page.

The feminine / maternal presence

The single most-reported phenotype — ~24% of entity encounters (Lawrence 2022), far ahead of the famous elves. Loving, vast, often felt as a Mother or Goddess. The Divine Feminine →

Deities & god-like presences

~17% of encounters (Lawrence 2022) — an authoritative, sacred vastness that frequently rewrites what people believe afterward. Deities →

Aliens & 'Grey' forms

The alien phenotype is ~16% (Lawrence 2022), and 'alien' was a top descriptor at ~39% in the Hopkins survey; the examining, clinical demeanor is characteristic. Alien & Grey forms →

The machine elves

Iconic thanks to Terence McKenna — but a minority percept: only ~2.9% of one report set used the literal term, with one researcher estimating ~10% meet the specific beings. Fame ≠ frequency. Self-transforming machine elves →

Mantis & insectoid beings

Occasional (~6–11% of the field study's creature categories) but strikingly cross-reported — the detached, surgical examiners of the literature. Mantis beings →

The jester / trickster / clown

~6.5% of phenotypes (Lawrence 2022), with a 'mischievous/jestful' demeanor noted in ~14% of one field study — the carnival current of the space. The Jester →

Guardians & gatekeepers

A distinct, repeatedly reported role — ~11% described a 'guardian' in the field study — the felt presence that tests, blocks, or admits. Guardians →

Deceased loved ones

Rare on DMT (~2%) — one of the sharpest differences from near-death experiences, where reunions with the dead are central. Deceased loved ones →

How to read your result

The match bar shows how much of your four-part description (form, demeanor, action, setting) overlaps each archetype's documented trait profile — it ranks resemblance, nothing more. You get up to three matches because real encounters often blend forms: a loving presence with an insectoid body, a jester who gates the threshold. If nothing fits, that is common too — the full field guide documents 40 recurring entity types, including rarer forms like the Mimic and the Silent Witness that the short quiz can't distinguish.

And a result here says nothing about whether the being was real — that question is genuinely unresolved, and the honest range of positions is laid out in Questions from hyperspace. If the encounter left you shaken rather than curious, After the experience has real support resources.

Frequently asked

Does a strong match mean the being was real?

No. A match means your description lines up with what many strangers have independently reported. That convergence is documented and genuinely striking — but whether it points to shared brain architecture, shared archetypes, or a shared "space" is unresolved, and this tool takes no side. See the honest range of positions.

Are my answers stored or sent anywhere?

No. The matching runs entirely in your browser against the Atlas's public data file — your answers are never transmitted or saved.

Where do the percentages come from?

Named studies only, never invented numbers: Lawrence et al. (2022), Davis et al. (2020), Michael, Luke & Robinson (2021), and the other catalogued sources in the library.

Can I explore beyond the quiz?

Yes — the interactive map links every archetype to its realms, journey phases, and sources. Start the identifier — free & anonymous — or go straight to the full Atlas explorer.