Ectoplasm Soup

Tunguska Event: UFO Slamming Itself Into a Meteor to Save Earth?

2009-07-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Tunguska Event, a mysterious explosion over the Tunguska River in 1908, has sparked many speculations as to its cause (A meteor? A Tesla experiment gone wrong? A natural gas explosion?). But this one takes the cake for its sheer weirdness:

Dr. Yuri Labvin, president of the Tunguska Spatial Phenomenon Foundation, insists that an alien spacecraft sacrificed itself to prevent a gigantic meteor from slamming into the planet above Siberia on June 30, 1908.

Most scientists think the blast was caused by a meteorite exploding several miles above the surface. But Labvin thinks quartz slabs with strange markings found at the site are remnants of an alien control panel, which fell to the ground after the UFO slammed into the giant rock.

"We don’t have any technologies that can print such kind of drawings on crystals," Labvin told the Macedonian International News Agency. "We also found ferrum silicate that can not be produced anywhere, except in space."
Link

Source: Neatorama

Two men with a female spirit

2009-07-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

Two men with a female spirit
Originally uploaded by National Media Museum

Is Neverland Ranch Haunted?

2009-07-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Source: Neatorama

Woman and Baby with Ghost(s)

2009-06-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

Woman and Baby with Ghost(s)
Originally uploaded by meowhous

Can you explain these photographs?

2009-03-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Help us assess photographic evidence for ghosts.
As part of 'Hauntings: The Science Of Ghosts', we are posting allegedly 'ghostly' images on this blog, and inviting everyone to comment and vote. Feel free to leave your opinion, and return soon because we will be posting new images on a regular basis. The results of this study will be announced as part of a special one-day event examining the psychology and history of during the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Please make sure that all of your comments are polite, and avoid any personal attacks.

Ghostly photographs from Hauntings
Source: Neatorama

Beheaded Teen Witch Gets Proper Funeral…700 Years Later

2009-03-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

The remains of a 14th century teenager, believed to have been beheaded on charges of witchcraft and buried in unconsecrated ground, has been laid to rest in a proper funeral…700 years after her death.

The girl, named Holly by archaeologists because her remains were found beneath a holly bush, had had her head laid at her side, a sign that she might have been suspected of witchcraft.

Dr Paul Wilkinson, director of the Kent Archaeological Field School, said the decapitation - which it was believed would deny eternal life - meant Holly was ’shamed’ and was either a teenage witch, a criminal or had committed suicide.

A crowd of more than 200 mourners - who had responded to an appeal to give the suspected witch a respectable funeral - gathered to pay their respects to a teenager whose identity remains a mystery.

Link

Source: Neatorama

Vampire Found in Italy

2009-03-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

An exhumation of a mass grave of plague victims in Venice, Italy yielded the skeleton of a woman who was probably considered a vampire in her time. She was buried with a brick in her mouth. The skeleton was found by Matteo Borrini of the University of Florence.

At the time the woman died, many people believed that the plague was spread by “vampires” which, rather than drinking people’s blood, spread disease by chewing on their shrouds after dying. Grave-diggers put bricks in the mouths of suspected vampires to stop them doing this, Borrini says.

The belief in vampires probably arose because blood is sometimes expelled from the mouths of the dead, causing the shroud to sink inwards and tear. Borrini, who presented his findings at a meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Denver, Colorado, last week, claims this might be the first such vampire to have been forensically examined. The skeleton was removed from a mass grave of victims of the Venetian plague of 1576.

Source: Neatorama

Links

2009-02-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Waverly Hills Sanitorium
Eastern State Penitentiary
Paranormal State Hidden Spirits game
Ghosts of Earth

Prarie Ghosts' Haunted Hollywood

2008-06-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Haunted Hollywood

Cursed Cars

2008-06-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

The Cursed Car of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Cursed Car of James Dean

Haunted Locations Around the World

2008-06-20T08:46:00.001-07:00

When Sarah Winchester’s husband died in 1881, she got a case of the spooks. The gun maker’s widow became convinced that she needed protection from the evil spirits of all the people killed by Winchester rifles. (Winchester Model 1873 was affectionately known as “the gun that won the West.”) Her spiritual counselor advised her to find a house that would attract good spirits, but confuse evil ones.

Instead of moving, however, the widow hired a team of carpenters and craftsmen to add rooms to the Victorian mansion indefinitely. The expansion continued for 31 years until her death in 1922. After Sarah’s death, the workers began hearing their names being whispered from the deserted hallways, as well as footsteps; one of them claimed to see the widow’s ghost. They all decided to look for new work shortly thereafter.

Link

Psychic's claim of abused child has Barrie, Ont., mom demanding apology

2008-06-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

Tue Jun 17, 4:03 PM

BARRIE, Ont. - A mother from Barrie, Ont., is demanding an apology after the Children's Aid Society launched an investigation into sexual abuse allegations that came from a psychic.

Colleen Leduc says her daughter Victoria's teaching assistant visited a psychic who asked if she taught a girl whose name started with the letter "V."

The psychic then went on to tell her that the 11-year-old, who is autistic and non-verbal, was being abused by a young man.

The assistant told school officials who in turn called in the Children's Aid Society.

Leduc says a Children's Aid official visited her home but closed the file and called the report "ridiculous."

Under the Child and Family Services Act, anyone who works with children and has reasonable grounds to suspect a youngster is being harmed must report it immediately - and the CAS has an obligation to follow up.

The school board plans to launch its own investigation into the incident.

Leduc is now seeking legal advice and says she's pulled her daughter out of school and is off work so she can take care of her.

Link

Hypnosis - Myths and Facts

2008-06-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hypnosis - Myths and Facts

Source: The Presurfer

Ghost in a bottle: Supernatural or Novelty?

2008-06-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a spare $20 kicking around to get one of these...

Each Ghost is captured from a reported haunted establishment, (house, hotel, ship, cemetery, etc), by our Ghost Hunters.

We seal the ghost in it's own bottle. The bottle is sealed for your protection.

No maintenance required; except occasional dusting.

You may release the Ghost at your own discretion and at your own risk.

The Ghost in the Bottle is contained mysteriously and is therefore sealed with wax shortly after the Ghost is caught. The bottle is sealed for your protection. It comes with very important information . We supply the Ghost, you supply the name. Individual Ghost experiences may vary as "Each Ghost is Unique"!

But, like any other supernatural being in a bottle, it comes with warnings...

Many people nationwide have already purchased a bottle or two. Some respond stating that they did break or open the bottle and nothing happend and went on to say that it was a neat gift novelty and great conversation piece.

But there are quite a few that broke or opened the bottle and stated that nothing happened at first but, later began hearing noises during the night, missing car keys, T.V. remote, refrigerator door left open and some reported that they have seen ghostly images.

NOTE: WE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISFORTUNE TO BEFALL YOU SHOULD YOU TAKE POSSESSION OF THIS OBJECT.

•It is not recommended that you break or open the bottle.

•The intent of this product is for entertainment purposes only. We have had several customers open or break the bottle and contact us stating that unexplained things have occurred in their homes and how could this activity be stopped?!
If you open or break your bottle you may experience any or all of the following:

• A voice out of nowhere.

• Muffled Moans and Groans for long periods of time during the day or night.

• Doors opening or closing slowly.

• A feeling someone is following you around your home.

• The T.V. volume Increases or Decreases by itself.

• Water left running at the sink.

• The feeling someone is watching you.

• Noises leading into or out of rooms that no one is present in.

• A unfamiliar smell of perfume or cologne.

• Small items moved (favorite items to move are shoes, car keys, T.V. remote and jewelry).

• Lights coming on or going off by themselves.

• Electrical appliances coming on by themselves (sometimes they are not even plugged in).

• Phone calls (yes, sometimes they call).

• Your night light may be turned off during the night.

• Bed covers pulled off you, or you pillow may be tossed on the floor during the night.

• Touches (light pat on the back, the touch can be warm or cold).

• Activity will usually peak around 3:00 am in the morning or on rainy days.You may experience other Ghostly situations not stated above.

So, best of luck with your Ghost in a bottle, and keep an eye on your night light.

Source: The Presurfer

Voodoo Veves

2008-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

In Vodou (Voodoo) practice, Veves are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or cornmeal prior to a ritual.
The ability to draw a Veve correctly is considered to be the skill of an initiate. A veve is believed to be more powerful if it is drawn with the correct details- the better the detail, the better its power to invoke the Loa.

You can see a gallery of Veves here.

Pronunciation: Vayv or vay-vay • (noun)

Source: About.com

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

2008-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens
By ARIEL DAVID – 1 day ago

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

On the Net:

Vatican Observatory

Roma Poltergeist

2008-04-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Roma Poltergeist
by Rebecca Ridge

In October, 2006, my fiancé, two brothers-in-law and I were renting a nice little house in Roma, Queensland, Australia. The first night I was there, it was just Joey and I; the other two were yet to move in. As Joey worked at night, I set about unpacking and doing the usual. I felt really uneasy while doing this. Although being home alone in a new place can make you feel uneasy, I had the distinct feeling that I wasn't alone and that I was being watched.

About two weeks later, after we were all in and unpacked, we had our first experience. The blinds behind the computer lifted up then slammed back down. Our cat, Strey, went over and had a look. She instantly put up her hackles and started to screech like a banshee and then, as if she had been hit, took off. We tried to vain to come up with a valid reason, but nothing made sense.

The next experience was when only Phil and I were home, as everyone else had gone to work. We were in the kitchen making dinner when we heard footsteps coming up the hallway. We both checked and nothing was there. We heard footsteps going up and down the hallway for about half an hour, then silence. The next was when my godson was going to sleep in Danny's bed. We were having a couple of drinks out side while my goddaughter slept in her pram and my godson was in the bedroom. He came out of the bedroom to tell us that someone was shaking the bed and he was scared. We went to go check it out, and as we all piled inside, Jaya's pram flew across the room with Jaya in it. She was unharmed, but it scared as half to death.

The next night we all felt the bed shaking. We were hanging out in Danny's room watching him play on the XBox 360 when the bed began to shake violently. After a moment it stopped as suddenly as it started. Needless to say, we were all silently freaking out. After that the bed never rocked so hard, but would still shake often.

Another night, Danny went to make something to eat and the broken CD player that wasn't plugged in began making the most horrifying noises. It sounded like a demonic voice. Another time, Joey, my fiancé, was in the shower. He had just turned the water off when he felt something grab his ankle, then let go. He quickly got out and started to dress. As he looked up into the mirror, he saw what he said was a man disappear behind him.

By now it was normal to hear footsteps going up and down the hallway, but even though it was normal we still felt unsettled. One night I was lying in bed with Strey lying on my belly. All of a sudden, she shot up and was staring beside me. I then heard a little girl giggle in my ear. At this, Strey took off out of the bedroom. I was too frightened to move.

Also, I forgot to mention that every child that came into that house was terrified of Danny's built-in wardrobe. Even we adults felt uneasy about it. Then, over Christmas, Joey and I went to Bundaberg and Phil went to Wondai while Danny stayed in Roma. On the first night he was alone, something was hitting all the windows and the CD player again began to make noises. Every time he entered a room, something would hit the window from the inside. As he tried to sleep, he kept hearing the hitting and then what sounded like a scream. He packed a bag and took off to a friend's house for the rest of the week.

On our return, things had been moved and the place was a bit of a mess, although after that night the place went quiet for about two weeks. Then it came back.

Once it came back, we started to hear footsteps behind us and following us around the house. This continued until about a month later when it stepped up another notch. We were in the lounge room while Joey was near the computer. All of a sudden, Johnny Cash's "I Won't Back Down" started to play backward through the computer speakers. Nothing was open on the computer and I don't think this song was even on the computer at the time. It stared to get louder and louder. It was louder than what the speakers could actually do. Joey turned the speakers off and it continued to play, then halfway through the song it stopped. We were all a little shaken over it, but tried to not freak out.

We had two cats by that time and they kept getting outside, although the house was closed tight. But when a window was open in this house, the blinds would be sucked up against the window. I noticed this next to the computer just after the music stopped. I thought I'd found out how our kitties had been getting out, but when I went to move the blinds to shut the window, the blinds suddenly released and started to shake, then stopped... the window wasn't open. We heard footsteps going up and down the hallway and we all went to the bedroom, but walking through the hall we felt and heard someone jump on the floor behind us.

Things stayed weird like that from then on. The day I found out I was pregnant, everything stopped. We no longer heard, felt or saw anything. One month later, we moved. Everyone that went to that house has a story and no one felt comfortable or alone there. No tenant has lasted more than six months either.

Source: About.com's Paranormal Phenomenon

Ghostly Voices Tell Woman of Brain Cancer: Miracle or Madness?

2008-04-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here’s a story recounted by consultant psychiatrist Dr. Ikechukwu Azuonye:

The story begins in 1984 when a married woman in her 40s was referred to him, apparently suffering from a psychiatric illness. Her ‘symptoms’ appeared when she was at home in London quietly reading a book, and a distinct voice appeared in her head.

‘Please don’t be afraid,’ the voice said in a firm but soothing tone. ‘I know it must be shocking for you to hear me speaking to you like this, but this is the easiest way I could think of. My friend and I used to work at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and we would like to help you.’

She was understandably shocked and was initially determined to dismiss the voice as a bizarre daydream. But it refused to go away and claimed that she was physically ill and would soon need help. […]

‘The voices told her to go in and ask to have a brain scan,’ says Dr Azuonye. ‘This was apparently for two reasons. She had a tumour in hebrain and her brain stem was inflamed.

Because the voices had told her things in the past that had turned out to be true, she believed them when they said that she had a tumour. I requested a brain scan.’

It turned out the diagnosis made by the voices was correct. Interestingly, says Dr Azuonye, there were no clinical signs that would have alerted anyone — including the patient — to the tumour.

The surgeon suggested an immediate operation to remove the tumour, a decision the voices agreed with. ‘They said they would have preferred the operation to be done at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London, because they specialised in neurological diseases. But because she was already at the Royal Free Hospital, they told her to have the procedure done there because it was urgent,’ Dr Azuonye says.

After the operation, and when the woman had recovered consciousness, the voices returned one last time, to bid her farewell. ‘We are pleased to have helped you,’ they said, before bidding her goodbye. ‘It is a miracle,’ says Dr Azuonye. ‘The patient regards herself as being helped by a guardian angel.’

Was it miracle or madness? Link - More over at Cabinet of Wonders

Source: Neatorama's Ghostly Voices Tell Woman of Brain Cancer: Miracle or Madness?

The Astrologer's April Fool's

2008-04-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

The extraordinary Astrologer Isaac Bickerstaff

Source: Neatorama

Libraries and The Occult

2008-04-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Libraries and The Occult

Source: Boing Boing, Weird Blogs, The Presurfer.

The stories behind four exorcisms

2008-03-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Teenager at the Vatican

Pope John Paul II reportedly performed an exorcism on a 19-year-old girl at the Vatican in 2000. Father Gabriele Amorth, the official exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, had attempted to exorcise the girl the day before and failed. Her parents brought her to Pope John Paul II’s Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square in hopes that a Papal blessing would do her some good, but apparently it just incensed her even more. Italian newspapers wrote that the girl started screaming insults at the Pope in a “cavernous voice” and struggled with guards with superhuman strength. The Pope was informed about her and spent 30 minutes with her. When the Pope left, the girl said (in a voice apparently not belonging to her), “Not even the head of the church can send me away.”

Source: Neatorama's The stories behind four exorcisms

Lee Hadwin, the "Sleeping Artist"

2008-03-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

By day, Lee Hadwin is a nurse from north Wales, UK and by night he is an artist. That’s not so unusual, but here’s where Lee is different:

… but when he wakes up, he says he has no memory of having created them.
Hadwin has been walking in his sleep since he was four, but it was only when he stayed over at a friend’s house, aged 16, that he first began to draw in his sleep. "The next morning, my friend’s mother found drawings all over the walls in the kitchen," he says. "But we had been drinking that night, so we put it down to that." (Source)

Gallery of Lee’s sleep-walking art. Video of Lee sleepin’ and drawin’ at Cabinet of Wonders.

Source: Neatorama's Lee Hadwin, the "Sleeping Artist"

Zombies in Ancient Egypt

2008-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

Zombie attacks are a very, very serious matter. So it’s only right that the Archaeology, a publication of the always serious Archaeological Institute of America, delved into the evidence of a zombie attack, caused by the Solanum virus, in 3000 BC Egypt:

… in 1892, a British dig at Hierakonpolis unearthed a nondescript tomb containing a partially decomposed body, whose brain had been infected with the virus (Solanum) that turns people into zombies. In addition, thousands of scratch marks adorned every surface of the tomb, as if the corpse had tried to claw its way out!

Source: Neatorama's ZOMG! Archaeologists found evidence of Zombie attack in Ancient Egypt!

Haunted Hospitals

2008-02-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

Glenn Dale Hospital

photo from The Glenn Dale Hospital Mission
Glenn Dale opened in the same era as Fairfield State – the 1930s was a popular time for mental institutes, apparently. Well, actually, Glenn Dale wasn’t originally used for that purpose – it was a tuberculosis hospital with one building for adults and one for children. Eventually the tuberculosis problem died down and Glenn Dale was repurposed. It closed in 1982 due to asbestos and structural problems, but before it closed it was (supposedly) home to the criminally insane. As with Fairfield State, the buildings are connected via underground passageways, which people have been exploring since the day Glenn Dale officially closed its doors.

Exploration might not be the best idea, though, and not just because of the asbestos (although that should be an obvious deterrent). One rumor says that when the hospital closed, the remaining patients were just turned loose. Having nowhere else to go, many of them simply broke back into the abandoned buildings and lurk there even today.

Another story goes that a police officer went to check out the buildings himself after getting a call that the buildings were being vandalized by a bunch of kids. After he went in, someone in the vicinity heard gun shots and called the police. When the police arrived, they found the first officer standing in one of the rooms, staring straight ahead at nothing. He had emptied his gun firing at something that no one ever found.

Source: Neatorama's Five hospitals you don't want to check into

Dark Spirits of St. Louis

2008-01-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

(1 of 4)

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20 tips for photographing Ghosts

2008-01-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

1. Ghosts are not just in haunted old buildings. Ghosts are almost everywhere in one form or another. So don't be afraid to take photos at the mall or out on a busy intersection at night, or anywhere else for that matter.

2. When you take photos at night, let's say in a cemetery etc. make sure you have you camera set for night filming. If your camera has this setting, please use it otherwise your photos might come out to dark or fuzzy.

3. Always take photos of something and not just a clearing. Having a background image such as a tombstone, tree, building etc., It adds to the quality of the photo and allows mild light reflection for best possible results.

4. Take lots of pictures! Takes photos of anything & everything with a good background image. The odds are good that you will capture an anomaly if you take at least 50 pictures on your hunt. Then again, you might just get some great stuff on your first roll, you just never know.

5. When taking your photos, make sure to avoid shinny surfaces. The shine from a glossy tombstone or pane of glass etc. can cause anomalies that can appear to look like ghost mist, fog & orb shapes. Oh, and never try taking photos through a glass window. It's just to easy to create shapes that aren't really there. Not worth wondering if it was created from the glass or not. Old glass is the worst.

6. Make sure your camera lens is clean at all times. Again, this can cause anomaly type images to appear. If the lens has a smudge it can easily show up on several pictures and can look like an anomaly, so look for that sign. Try to always keep your lens spotless.

7. Make sure you know where your camera strap & lens cover are at all times. These can appear as a vortex or other ghostly images if left to dangle free from the camera. If your thumb or finger is in the way of the lens it can cause this same effect.

8. Make sure long hair is tied back. Hair can also appear as a ghostly anomaly. Strains of hair can look like orbs in motion as well as ghost energy.

9. Completely avoid taking photos when conditions are windy, foggy, rainy, dusty and where it's snowing or when moisture is in the air. All of these conditions can cause images to appear that look exactly like orbs and ghostly anomalies.

10. In cold weather make sure your breath is not affecting the photo results. Exhaled air in cold weather can appear in front of the lens to create all sorts of strange elusions including mist & orbs shapes.

11. A condition called "Lens Flair" produces strange effects in your photos. To avoid this do not take photos in the direction of the sun. Also, never take a picture in the direction of any direct light source. Preferably have all light sources away from you or even behind you when snapping your photos.

12. Talk to the ghosts. When you enter an area that you want to photograph, such as a cemetery, follow these steps: Walk around the area for about 15 minutes before doing anything else. As you're walking around, clear your mind and think only good thoughts. (Ghosts can sense your feelings and read your thoughts) After 15 minutes, recite the following statement or something similar. "Hi, my name is ______, We have come here to take some pictures of you as ghosts in order to show & document that there is life after death. We have only the best of intentions. We are not here to do any harm and we will only be here long enough to take our photos and then we will leave. Our only request is to take a picture of you, any of you! Thank you so much. I'll begin taking pictures now......thanks. Take all the pictures you think you need to and start heading back to your car. On the way, stop one last time and say: We are leaving now, just in case I didn't get any pictures of you on film can I take just 5 more pictures of this monument (or whatever) and would one of you mind posing for me in these very last photos? Take five more photos and then say: Thank you so much for putting up with me & my group.....we enjoyed being here in your company and am grateful for any photos you have allowed us to have of you..........thanks again, bye. If you were able to get some good pictures and you proved your good intentions to the ghosts.....then you will be welcomed back on your return visit. :)

13. Most ghost energy will appear in the air from two to ten feet above the ground. So focus a portion of your attention at that level but don't limit yourself totally to it. Ghostly phenomena can and will also appear above your head at times so be sure and snap some random shots up above at times. Note: in a buildings they can appear at any level of the structure and at any height.

14. The odds of encountering an evil spirit are slim to none but here is the counsel concerning them. Don't go hunting for evil spirits and DO NOT dare them to come around. If you hear or see a sign of evil spirits you should leave immediately.

15. Avoid mirrors or even taking photos in the general direction of a mirror. The camera flash can create a flash in the mirror that can produce a variety of effects including vapor, mist & fog.

16. Try following your instincts when taking ghost photos. If you have a particular inclination to snap a photo in a particular direction or at a particular object, do it. Trust your feelings an as you do, your abilities to sense ghosts should increase.

17. Ghosts are quite often attracted to people and will follow them around. So include people in the photos you take. Tip: When taking photos of others try to include enough space to one side of the picture and above the heads of those in the photo to capture any anomalies present. Remember the purpose is to catch anomalies and people together in the same photo. Here's another trick to use when ghosts might be following you around......put the camera over your shoulder and snap a picture behind you. This can be an effective technique at times......trust me.

18. The best time of the year for capturing ghost images on film are in the colder months when electrostatic energy is at it's highest. These months being October through February. You can capture any kind of ghost type on film at any time of the year but the above mentioned months just increase your odds is all. Orbs however, don't seem to be affected by seasons and are by far the easiest anomalies to capture on film.

19. Remember your flash limitations. A flash can only be useful for up to a certain distance. Normally within 15 feet. So if you are in a cemetery at night and take a picture of a mausoleum 30 feet away, the image will be hard to view and a bit washed out, as well as any anomalies present. Important note: The flash will help highlight the anomaly if the background image is within the the range (15 feet). Note: A flash attachment will increase your range if you desire to use one.

20. Best places to take pictures: Some places are more haunted than others. Some typically haunted locations are cemeteries, old buildings, including old hotels, houses, hospitals, schoolhouses, and churches. Other good spots are theaters as well as any historic part of a city. Use your imagination and see what works for you. Just remember the best rule of thumb is to include places that are rich in history on your investigations. That's the basics in a nutshell.......study and know them well and you will be well on your way to capturing strange phenomena on film in the near future. I might add, once you start seeing the fruits of your labor, you will be hooked! And life will no longer be the same for you as it was before. Ghost hunting is a great hobby and can be a truly fulfilling one as well. We wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!

Don't forget to check out your old photos and photo albums for ghost anomalies. You might be pleasantly surprised at the ghost pictures you already have!

GhostStudy.com

How to Practice Automatic Writing

2008-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

Automatic writing is an old form of divination in which messages seem to come out of nowhere through your hand and onto paper. Some who have attempted this form of mediumship have written lengthy messages, songs -- even complete novels.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: 15 minutes to an hour

Here's How:

Find a quiet spot without distractions.
Sit at a table or desk where you'll be comfortable, with paper and pen (or pencil).
Take a few moments to clear your mind.
Touch the pen or pencil to the paper.
Try not to consciously write anything.
While keeping your mind as clear as possible, let your hand write whatever comes across.
Avoid looking at the paper; you might even keep your eyes closed.
Give it time to happen (nothing might happen for quite a while).
When it seems to be done, if and when automatic writing does occur, look over what your hand has produced carefully. The writing may appear to be nonsense or just scribbling, but try to decipher it as best as possible.
In addition to letters and numbers, look for pictures or symbols in the writing as well.
Keep trying. Nothing might happen your first few attempts.
If you start to achieve success, you can try asking questions to see if you can receive responses.

Tips:

There is no guarantee that automatic writing will work for you, but don't give up if it doesn't work the first few times. Give it a chance.
Be aware of psychological dangers. Some messages that come across might be disturbing. If you're at all not able to handle this possibility, don't attempt automatic writing.

What You Need:

pencil or pen

paper

Source: Paranormal Phenomena

UFO sighting in Texas

2008-01-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) - The latest UFO buzz is in Stephenville, Texas, where several dozen people insist they've seen something up there that's unexplainable.

One pilot says the thing he spotted last week was a mile long and a 1/2 mile wide, and made no noise. As he puts it, "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts." Others have talked about bright lights, and said they saw fighter jets chasing it.

Federal officials insist there's a logical explanation. A spokesman for a local fighter wing says it may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. He says lights from the planes would seem unusually bright, and may appear orange from the setting sun.

Last year, 14% of Americans polled by The Associated Press and Ipsos said they have seen a UFO.

Source: WTOC

In-depth article HERE

The True 'Spirit' of the Care Bears

2007-11-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Written by Dave Nalle

Published April 01, 2005

When you think of the Care Bears, do you think of them as nothing more than annoying characters in an overly preachy children's cartoon? Or do you find them vaguely unsettling, perhaps because your inner eye can sense some of the truth behind these chubby brightly colored 'friends' - the truth of Voodoo masquerading as children's entertainment.

One of the characteristics of the spread of Voodoo in the Western Hemisphere is the adaptability of the paradigms of Voodoo worship and magic to the host cultures and religions. This has been demonstrated in the accommodation of Voodoo to the native cultures of Brazil in the form of Macumba (Candomble and Umbanda), and in the adaptation of Catholic religious iconography to Voodoo in the practice of Santeria, where saints have been adapted to substitute for specific voodoo gods. These examples are well known and publicly recognized. The Catholic Church has even been quietly tolerant of both Voodoo and Santeria for many years.

What fewer are aware of is the introduction of Voodoo symbology and worship into the culture of the United States through the medium of children's cartoons. Voodoo has always been syncretic and adaptable, and through the work of a few Boccor/Animators and sympathetic Voodoo practitioner producers in Hollywood the Lwa have found new forms and gained unprecedented access to generations of young television viewers. While recent attention has been focused on the popularity of the Kabbalah and ritual Jewish magic in Hollywood, the Lwa and Voodoo were there first and have already permeated the culture to a depth which few suspect.

Voodoo's invasion of children's animation began in the 1950s with the tentative work of early media-voodoo pioneers such as Art Clokey whose character Gumby clearly derives from the Jamaican festival spirit Goombay or Big Bwoy, an amorphous and confused buffoonish character who heralds the start of festival season. The similarity of the exaggerated features of the two characters is hard to miss.

Another tentative effort to introduce some Voodoo elements into a children's cartoon can be found in the popular 1980s cartoon Rainbow Brite which features a horse - a traditional symbol of Legba - which has a rainbow tail - clearly symbolic of Damballah. In the enormously popular Smurfs you can also see Voodoo themes portrayed, especially in the character of Smurfette whose position as a unique and powerful female figure surrounded by male cohorts clearly echoes the role of Irzuli in Voodoo mythology.

Unquestionably the height and full-blown realization of Voodoo in children's animation was in the still enormously popular Care Bears. Never has the use of Voodoo symbology been more clear and apparent, far more so than in Candomble or Santeria. From the very name of the cartoon to the look and behavior of the characters, Voodoo permeates the Care Bears universe.

Start with the name first. Who can deny the similarity between the name Care Bears and Carefours, the district of Port au Prince which is the heart of the Voodoo world? Can the cloud city of Care-a-Lot be anything but an idealized 'holy city' of the Lwa - a divine reflection of Carefours? Then consider some of the terminology. The Care Bears constantly want to 'Share until you care', just as the Lwa want to share the bodies of their worshipers. The Care Bears are constantly trying to be children's 'friends', just as the Voodoo Lwa are often referred to by their followers as 'friendly spirits' or just 'friends'.

Voodoo is a religion uniquely rich in symbology, particular the famous Veve symbols which represent each of the Lwa or Voodoo gods. These Veve are your key to connecting the Lwa and the Care Bears. Just as each Lwa has a Veve, each Care Bear has an arcane symbol represented on his round little tummy, and as you may already suspect, those symbols are suspiciously similar to the Veve of the major Voodoo Lwa.

The first obvious connection of a major Lwa with a Care Bear is between the goddess Erzulie and Love-a-Lot Bear. Erzulie's symbol is a heart, which might lead one to associate her with Tenderheart Bear who is also represented by a heart, but Love-a-Lot is the true Care Bear form of Erzulie, because the color pink is strongly associated with Erzulie, and Love-a-Lot's twin hearts represent the dual nature of Erzulie as both a goddess of love and motherhood (Erzulie La Siren) and also a goddess of seduction and jealousy (Erzulie Dantor). Clearly in the Care Bear universe Love-a-Lot is the embodiment of Erzulie.

Another clear connection with a very important Lwa is the association of Friend Bear with Legba. Not only are their symbols similar - crossed roses in both cases, but Legba is frequently referred to as 'A Friend', because of a prohibition against speaking his actual name. Legba is one of the most commonly called upon Lwa as an intercessor, and Friend Bear occupies a similarly prominent role as a go-between among the other Care Bears.

Also quite obvious is the connection between Damballah, who is symbolized by a rainbow and Cheer Bear who also bears the rainbow symbol. Cheer Bear, more than many other Care Bears, is shown using magical or mystical powers, characteristic of Damballah.

The parallels go on. The falling star symbol of Wish Bear is clearly equivalent to of the lightning bolt of Shango, while the storm cloud of Grumpy Bear is obviously symbolic of both the storm associations and general negative attitude of Capitaine Ogu. In fact, the cloud has a rather similar shape to the ship in Ogu's most common Veve. A close viewing of the movie Return to Care-a-Lot also reveals a scene in which a distracted Grumpy Bear mutters under his breath what sounds distinctly like Ogu's trademark greeting "Gren mi Fret" or "My Balls are Cold". And of course who could deny the similarity of Birthday Bear's symbolic cupcake and the funeral altar Veve associated with Baron Samedi?

Symbolic parallels can also be found between the central character Funshine bear who watches over the welfare of all the Care Bears with the over-god or super-Lwa Orisha. There are also repeated motifs in the Care Bear television episodes and movies which are impossible to deny. For example, they travel by magical ship again and again, clearly a reference to the slave ships which brought the first Voodoo practitioners to the new world. Even more significant, many of the Care Bears, especially Grumpy Bear (Capitaine Ogu) and Birthday Bear (Baron Samedi), are seen trying on hats and other disguises, clearly a nod to the characteristic behavior of the Guede Lwa who guard the dead and are known for wearing hats and fancy dress.

We can only guess at the motivation of these Hollywood animators in going to such lengths to incorporate Voodoo symbology in the characters of the Care Bears. Is it the outcome of a religiously motivated conspiracy as some would fear, merely that they were bored or starved for inspiration and found it in an unlikely location, or some something far more sinister? We may never know. Most of the animators involved in the original design of the Care Bears characters have either died under mysterious circumstances or are missing. In the case of character animator Lester Meyers, his disappearance was accompanied by a cryptic note suggesting that the was going to go find out the "truth about where the CBs come from," and his final credit card bill showed a charge for a ticket to Haiti. Nothing was ever heard from him again.

Should you be concerned for children exposed to the Care Bears? They are probably no more dangerous than notorious Pagan propaganda icons like The Transformers, or well documented Wiccan idol Strawberry Shortcake. However, if your child begins to spontaneously speak French to her stuffed Care Bear toys or if he puts on a top hat and takes up a cane and starts to dance a jig, the services of a Houngan might be called for.

Dave

Dave Nalle has been a magazine editor, freelance writer, capitol hill staffer, game designer and taught college history for many years. He now designs fonts for a living and lives with his family and pets just outside Austin. You can find his writings on politics and culture at Republic of Dave and works on designs and fonts at The Scriptorium.

Source:Blogcritics

Ghosts on film

2007-11-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

I finally found it. Justin (exmk.net) sent this to me ages ago and neither one of us have been able to find it since. Until now, obviously.

Funny epitaph

2007-11-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

In a cemetery in England:

Remember man, as you walk by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, so shall you be,
Remember this and follow me.

To which someone replied by writing on the tombstone:

To follow you I'll not consent,
Until I know which way you went.

source: Rosebud's epitaphs

Carl. Jung Quotes

2007-11-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination.

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.

If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool.

In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.

In my case Pilgrim's Progress consisted in my having to climb down a thousand ladders until I could reach out my hand to the little clod of earth that I am.

It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.

It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts.

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.

Man's task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious.

Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics.

Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not.

Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble.

Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.

Our heart glows, and secret unrest gnaws at the root of our being. Dealing with the unconscious has become a question of life for us.

Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself.

Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.

Shrinking away from death is something unhealthy and abnormal which robs the second half of life of its purpose.

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.

The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.

The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.

The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.

The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.

The man who promises everything is sure to fulfil nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of using evil means in order to carry out his promises, and is already on the road to perdition.

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.

The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.

The word "belief" is a difficult thing for me. I don't believe. I must have a reason for a certain hypothesis. Either I know a thing, and then I know it - I don't need to believe it.

Understanding does not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness.

We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more.

We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.

We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them.

We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect. The judgement of the intellect is only part of the truth.

When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.

Who has fully realized that history is not contained in thick books but lives in our very blood?

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

C G Jung quotes on Brainyquote.com

Rob Brezny~ Pronoia Therapy

2007-11-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

The primary meaning of the word healing is "to cure what's diseased or broken." Medical practitioners focus on sick people. Psychotherapists wrestle with their clients' traumas and neuroses. Philanthropists donate their money, and social workers contribute their time to helping the underprivileged. I am in awe of them all. The level of one's spiritual enlightenment, I believe, is more accurately measured by helping people in need than by meditation skills or mastery of religious doctrine.
But I also believe in a second kind of healing which is largely unrecognized: to supercharge what is already healthy; to lift up what's merely sufficient to a state of sublime blessing. I'm driven with ambition to promote this work, even as I aspire to do my share of fixing what's hurt.
What would the world look like if there were doctors who specialized in fostering robust health in their patients? What if the textbooks that psychotherapists used to evaluate their clients were crammed not just with descriptions of pathological states, but also with a catalogue of every variety of bliss, integrity, magnanimity, eros, and wisdom? Imagine how odd and wonderful it would be if universities began turning out professionals in a brand new field, the science of happiness.
I must confess that early in my career, I was proud of my well-crafted cynicism. Like most novelists, poets, journalists, filmmakers, and critics, I subscribed to the dogma that evil is interesting and good is boring. You can imagine my dismay, then, when my muses began to nudge me in the direction of sly optimism. "It will ruin my image!" I complained to them from the depth of my worried meditations. "I refuse to write shiny happy propaganda! I will not turn into a dopey Pollyanna bereft of all critical thinking skills!"
But they were immune to my protests. Slowly and inexorably, the muses reconfigured my coyote angel rebel clown persona to serve a new master: PRONOIA. The opposite of paranoia, pronoia is defined as the sneaking suspicion that the whole world is conspiring to shower you with blessings. (Terence McKenna had a slightly different angle on it: "I believe reality is a marvelous joke staged for my edification and amusement, and everybody is working very hard to make me happy.")
To their credit, my muses managed to pull off this alchemical abracadabra without annihilating my native skepticism. If anything, it has become more robust, anchored as it is now in the thrilling quest for good news.
But the transformation was neither rapid nor smooth. So strenuously did I resist and so deep were my imprints, that it has taken me until now to begin writing the ultimate self- help book on pronoiac living. It's titled, "EXTREME PRONOIA: 888 Steps to Becoming an Aggressively Sensitive, Wildly Disciplined, Lyrically Logical, Ironically Sincere, Insanely Poised, Lustfully Compassionate Master of Rowdy Bliss." Here is how it begins.
Beauty and truth fans, you don't have to struggle and slave for 15 years, as I did, to throw off your addiction to pop- nihilism. You can launch the first phase of the cold turkey cure right now. Simply carry out the following 13-step crash course in pronoiac reprogramming. Report on your adventures and results here.
PRONOIA THERAPY FOR BEGINNERS
1. During an intense half-hour rant, complain and whine about everything that pains you. Get a sympathetic listener to be your receptacle if possible, or simply deliver your blast straight into the mirror. Having emptied all your psychic toxins in one neat ritual spew, you'll be able to luxuriate in rosy moods and relaxed visions for a while.
2. Locate or create a symbol of your own pain. Mail it to us at the Angst Incineration Crew, P.O. Box 150628, San Rafael, CA 94915, USA. We will then conduct a sacred ritual of purification during which we will burn that symbol to ash. While this may not banish your suffering entirely, it will provide a substantial amelioration which you will be able to feel the benefits of within a month.
3. Eat a pinch of dirt while affirming that you are ready to kill off one of your outworn shticks -- some idea or formula that has worked for you in the past but has now become a parody of itself.
4. Using crayons, paints, scissors, glue, collage materials or any other materials, create a piece of large-denomination paper money, good for making a payment on your karmic debt.
5. Kick your own ass 22 times.
6. Brag about yourself nonstop for 10 minutes. Record it so you can listen back to it later.
7. Perform a senseless act of altruism, for instance by giving an anonymous gift or providing some beauty or healing to a person who cannot do you any favors in return.
8. Deliver a concentrated stream of praise about someone, either to that person herself or to anyone who will listen. Extra credit: Force yourself to think a kind and loving thought about someone you don't like or from whom you feel alienated.
9. Conjure up an imaginary friend and have an intimate conversation with him and her for at least 15 minutes.
10. Build an altar devoted to beauty, truth, and love in one of the ugliest places you know.
11. With a companion, watch a blank TV while making up a pronoiac story featuring plot twists that are rife with happiness, redemption, and good times -- yet not boring. You may either speak this tale aloud or write it down.
12. Compose and perform a ceremony in which you get married to yourself.
13. While making love, imagine that your physical pleasure is a carrier wave for a spiritual blessing which you beam in the direction of some person you know who needs a supercharged boost.

Free Will Astrology

Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings

On the Creation of Tulpas

2007-11-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

However interested we may feel in the other strange accomplishments with which Tibetan adepts of the secret lore are credited, the creation of thought forms seems by far the most puzzling.
...
Phantoms, as Tibetans describe them, and those that I have myself seen do not resemble the apparitions, which are said to occur during spiritualist séances.
As I have said, some apparitions are created on purpose either by a lengthy process resembling that described in the former chapter on the visualization of Ydam or, in the case of proficient adepts, instantaneously or almost instantaneously. In other cases, apparently the author of the phenomenon generates it unconsciously, and is not even in the least aware of the apparition being seen by others.
However, the practice is considered as fraught with danger for every one who has not reached a high mental and spiritual degree of enlightenment and is not fully aware of the nature of the psychic forces at work in the process.
Once the tulpa is endowed with enough vitality to be capable of playing the part of a real being, it tends to free itself from its maker¹s control. This, say Tibetan occultists, happens nearly mechanically, just as the child, when his body is completed and able to live apart, leaves its mother¹s womb. Sometimes the phantom becomes a rebellious son and one hears of uncanny struggles that have taken place between magicians and their creatures, the former being severely hurt or even killed by the latter.
Tibetan magicians also relate cases in which the tulpa is sent to fulfill a mission, but does not come back and pursues its peregrinations as a half-conscious, dangerously mischievous puppet. The same thing, it is said, may happen when the maker of the tulpa dies before having dissolved it. Yet as a rule the phantom either disappears suddenly at the death of the magician or gradually vanishes like a body that perishes for want of food. On the other hand, some tulpas are expressly intended to survive their creator and are specially formed for that purpose.
...
Must we credit these strange accounts of rebellious "materializations", phantoms which have become real beings, or must we reject them all as mere fantastic tales and wild products of imagination?
Perhaps the latter course is the wisest. I affirm nothing. I only relate what I have heard from people whom, in other circumstances, I had found trustworthy, but they may have deluded themselves in all sincerity.
Nevertheless, allowing for a great deal of exaggeration and sensational addition, I could hardly deny the possibility of visualizing and animating a tulpa. Besides having had few opportunities of seeing thought-forms, my habitual incredulity led me to make experiments for myself, and my efforts were attended with some success. In order to avoid being influenced by the forms of the lamaist deities, which I saw daily around me in paintings and images, I chose for my experiment a most insignificant character: a Monk, short and fat, of an innocent and jolly type.
I shut myself in tsams and proceeded to perform the prescribed concentration of thought and other rites. After a few months the phantom Monk was formed. His form grew gradually fixed and lifelike looking. He became a kind of guest, living in my apartment. I then broke my seclusion and started for a tour, with my servants and tents.
The Monk included himself in the party. Though I lived in the open, riding on horseback for miles each day, the illusion persisted. I saw the fat tulpa; now and then it was not necessary for me to think of him to make him appear. The phantom performed various actions of the kind that are natural to travelers and that I had not commanded. For instance, he walked, stopped, looked around him. The illusion was mostly visual, but sometimes I felt as if a robe was lightly rubbing against me, and once a hand seemed to touch my shoulder.
The features which I had imagined, when building my phantom, gradually underwent a change. The fat, chubby-cheeked fellow grew leaner, his face assumed a vaguely mocking, sly, malignant look. He became more troublesome and bold. In brief, he escaped my control. Once, a herdsman who brought me a present of butter saw the tulpa in my tent and took it for a living lama.
I ought to have let the phenomenon follow its course, but the presence of that unwanted companion began to prove trying to my nerves; it turned into a "day-nightmare". Moreover, I was beginning to plan my journey to Lhasa and needed a quiet brain devoid of other preoccupations, so I decided to dissolve the phantom. I succeeded, but only after six months of hard struggle. My mind-creature was tenacious of life.

There is nothing strange in the fact that I may have created my own hallucination. The interesting point is that in these cases of materialization, others see the thought-forms that have been created.

Alexandra David-Neel
Magic and Mystery in Tibet.
University Books Inc., 1965

Davis & Davis research labs

Fear quotes from Quotegarden.com

2007-10-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. ~Mary Manin Morrissey

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. ~Marie Curie

Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop. ~Usman B. Asif

Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Panic at the thought of doing a thing is a challenge to do it. ~Henry S. Haskins

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety. ~Henry Louis Mencken

There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear. ~George S. Patton

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them. ~Brendan Francis

There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them. ~Andre Gide

There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid. ~Frederick W. Cropp

Fear is faith that it won't work out. ~Sister Mary Tricky

Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance. ~Arnold Glasow

Fear is the father of courage and the mother of safety. ~Henry H. Tweedy

Fear is the highest fence. ~Dudley Nichols

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them... they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight. ~Orison Swett Marden

Fear is the needle that pierces us that it may carry a thread to bind us to heaven. ~James Hastings

To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another. ~Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved

Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small. ~Ruth Gendler

Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends. ~Shirley Maclaine

To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. ~Bertrand Russell

Every man, through fear, mugs his aspirations a dozen times a day. ~Brendan Francis

Fear is just your feelings asking for a hug. ~Danielle Sanchez-Witzel and Michael Pennie, My Name is Earl, "South of the Border Part Uno/Dos," original airdate 7 December 2006, spoken by the character Joy Turner

He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Those who fear life are already three parts dead. ~Bertrand Russell

Fear makes us feel our humanity. ~Benjamin Disraeli

A cheerful frame of mind, reinforced by relaxation... is the medicine that puts all ghosts of fear on the run. ~George Matthew Adams

There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls. ~Aeschylus

Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself. ~Samuel Butler

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. ~German Proverb

If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all thinking, damages his personality and makes him a landlord to a ghost. ~Lloyd Douglas

A cat bitten once by a snake dreads even rope. ~Arab Proverb

Fear prejudices courage. ~Abigail Charleson

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? ~Maurice Freehill

Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. ~Author Unknown

Fear is a slinking cat I find beneath the lilacs of my mind. ~Sophie Tunnell

I would sort out all the arguments and see which belonged to fear and which to creativeness. Other things being equal, I would make the decision which had the larger number of creative reasons on its side. ~Katharine Butler Hathaway

He who fears something gives it power over him. ~Moorish Proverb

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown

He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear. ~French Proverb

There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice. ~Mark Twain

Fear can be headier than whiskey, once man has acquired a taste for it. ~Donald Dowes

Fear dances with courage. ~Ever Garrison

The wise man in the storm prays God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals, 1833

Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile... initially scared me to death. ~Betty Bender

To lead is difficult when you're a follower of fear. ~T.A. Sachs

I have accepted fear as a part of life - specifically the fear of change.... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back. ~Erica Jong

The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. ~Lady Bird Johnson

RSPK and consciousness - recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis

2007-10-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Journal of Parapsychology, The, Dec, 2001 by William G. Roll, William T. Joines

ABSTRACT: Recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK), or poltergeist occurrences, investigated by William G. Roll and 2 recent physical theories with implications for RSPK are reviewed.

Zero-point energy: A major problem for the RSPK researcher has been to identify the source of energy causing the movement of household objects and furniture. This energy is usually focused on objects associated with individuals with whom the agent has a stressful or tense relationship. Hal Puthoff, a physicist (and parapsychologist), is exploring zero-point energy (ZPE), a hypothetical plenum of electromagnetic energy that fills space and interacts with gravitation and inertia. He proposes that the agent causes object movements by cohering the random fluctuations of the ZPE. The agent would not generate the energy for RSPK but manipulate the random fluctuations of the ZPE and thereby reduce the inertia and gravity that ordinarily keeps an object in place. If RSPK uses ZPE, this would be evidence that the vacuum has a consciousness component, according to Puthoff.

Joines has previously suggested that the RSPK process involves psi waves from the agent. Psi waves result in the focusing effects and in the attenuation of RSPK incidents with distance from the agent. The ZPE concept fills in the picture. If psi waves produce a coherent signal directed at a physical object, the process might be attenuated by the random ZPE fluctuations that surround agent and object. The ZPE at the same time would provide the energy for RSPK and result in the reduction of object movements with distance.

In the light of the ZPE theory, Joines analyzed the decline effects in the Miami, Olive Hill, and Tina Resch cases. The data points were fitted to an exponential decay curve and to an inverse distance curve, but the best fit was to a product of the 2 curves. An electromagnetic wave propagating outward from a source is represented by the product of inverse distance and exponential decay. The results are consistent with the theory that the ZPE may be the connection between psi waves and electromagnetic waves.

Observer participancy: In his 1998 work, Physics From Fisher Information: A Unification, Roy Frieden has derived most known physics, including statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and the Einstein field equations, from a new theory that makes the observer part of the measured phenomenon. According to Frieden, "The 'request' for data creates the law that, ultimately, gives rise to the data. The observer creates his or her local reality" (p. i). The theory is an outgrowth of the work by British statistician A. R. Fisher.

Frieden focuses on 2 types of information: information obtained by observing nature (designated by I) and information that nature is yet to reveal (designated by J). The purpose of scientific observation is to reduce the difference between I and J. Frieden's approach asserts that "the meaning of the acquired data to the observer" affects the observation; results are thereby "knowledge based" as well as physical. Bringing in acquired knowledge brings in the individuals imparting the knowledge to the observer. In addition to cognitive knowledge (expressed by physical equations), knowledge has an emotional aspect that infuses observation with energy. The emotional--energetic component of objects may show itself when emotionally charged objects are affected as in RSPK. RSPK, along with other psi phenomena, may reveal the J information that is concealed in the physical environment. Frieden sets out to provide a unified theory of physics that turns out to also be a theory of psi.

Anneliese Michel

2007-10-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Whether a case of genuine possession or mental illenss (etc.), this is a disturbing and sad story.

Poltergeists

2007-06-05T12:07:00.000-07:00