The Devil's Hole and the Story of Mel Waters

Mel Waters and the Devil’s Holes

The story of Mel Waters and his mystery holes is a modern legend. (Go on and get the snickers out now because there are lots of funny phrases in that link). This story has all kinds of bizarre elements that flow together in a way that makes you want to believe this story whether it's true or not. It also ties together everything from UFOs to government conspiracies to spiritual experience brought about by bizarre creatures. If this is a total fabrication then it's as engaging as any fiction I've read.

There's really not much to be said about the story that you can't get from just reading it. It's fascinating and really does make one wonder if holes like this exist in isolated places on the planet. Are they alien constructs from the distant past? Geographic features as old as the earth itself? Where do the holes go and why do they have such bizarre properties? It's very fun to think about.

So regardless of whether you believe Mel Waters' story or not I do think it is worth the read. It's as good as any science fiction you'll find and it does a good enough job of blending the fantastic with the mundane that there is still a part of you that wonders "Could this have really happened?" It's almost enough to make someone want to go looking for odd spots on Google Earth in an attempt to find the Devil's Hole(s).

Enjoy the tale and let me know what you think about it.

Scorpion-shaped UFO seen in the skies over Los Cristianos, Spain

Scorpion-shaped UFO seen in the skies over Los Cristianos, Spain [photos]

There's something that bugs me about the look of these photos but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I also think that it's a little suspicious that no one but this subscriber to the UFO Global Reporting Center saw this unique UFO. I know that I tend to be very skeptical of UFO photos and videos but that's because I just don't like hoaxes.

What do you guys think? Is this the real deal?

Orange goo in Alaska is fungal spores.

Orange Goo At Alaskan Village Found To Be Fungal Spores, Not Eggs

The orange goo in Alaska that I posted about here and here that was initially thought to be the eggs of an unknown species has now been determined to be rust fungus spores. It is not known if these spores are from a currently known species of rust fungus though.

It's a pretty anticlimactic conclusion from a paranormal standpoint but it is cool that this could still be a previously unknown species.

Otherkin

I don't usually get intentionally involved with otherkin. This is not because I have a prejudice against the belief but because the otherkin community, much like a lot of related communities, tends to create a great amount of drama and I just get burnt out on that after a while. However, I do end up encountering those that identify as therians or otherkin by virtue of the subjects I'm interested in and the circles I travel in. Without making any attempt to flatter or offend I'll muse a little on the topic of otherkin.

The majority of otherkin I encounter are of the belief that they are other than human in soul. The dominant theory I come across is that they have been reincarnated into a human body when they originally inhabited the body of another species. I'm not perturbed by this sort of belief and I'm unconcerned if the people around me subscribe to it. To each their own. I believe some relatively strange things myself.

I do occasionally encounter individuals that claim to mentally shift. They claim that their mentality or mind will shift from that of a human to that of their original species. This is an interesting concept to me but this is another belief that doesn't really bother me one way or the other. I seem to recall reading about other types of non-physical shifting at some point but I can't say I remember them right now. This idea of shifting could probably also be elaborated on a lot if the particular otherkin claims to have multiple souls residing in the same body (as I have seen before in the past).

Then we get some people that claim to be able to physically change their form. I almost immediately disregard these claims for a number of reasons, chiefly because it seems to defy quite a few physical laws to an extreme degree. Most of the time when confronted with this kind of belief I'll just listen to what the other person has to say and I may ask questions. I would like to see them physically transform, of course, but I'm not going to demand they do so as that would be rude even if they are capable of doing it.

In some cases it's not really a total transformation from human to animal that is claimed but simply an augmenting of human senses or abilities that would seem to coincide with what the otherkin's original form would be able to do. I think we're all capable of some extraordinary feats when we set ourselves to them and whether one attributes this to the human mind or having been some other species in a past life doesn't seem to matter from a practical standpoint.

Something that I do see more than one would think is a belief among otherkin that eventually some great event will occur and everyone will assume their "true form" again. This may be tied to some story of war on the astral planes, the veil between worlds becoming thinner, or variations on these themes. I don't see this as much different than a belief in the Rapture or the Apocalypse and in comparison it's not necessarily that "out there."

My final thoughts on the subject of otherkin are that they have beliefs just like anyone else. Some of the beliefs are more "out there" than others, even within the otherkin community, but given the whole of world beliefs they really aren't that strange. I think some people may take it too far but this can be said of anything that people are wont to do. Overall, otherkin are (currently) people just like anyone else and are susceptible to human foibles just like the rest of us regardless of what species they may have originally been. With this in mind I try not to treat otherkin any differently than people that identify totally as human and I hope you'll attempt the same should you encounter anyone that claims to be otherkin.

UPDATE: Orange Goo in Alaska

Mystery almost solved: Orange goo near remote Alaska village ID'd as eggs of unknown species

The mysterious orange substance that washed up in Alaska (story posted here) has been identified as the eggs of an unknown species. I find this interesting because normally these kinds of things have a pretty mundane explanation that quickly comes to light but this time is a little different. This is an example of the answering of one question giving rise to another question.

I'm curious as to whether we'll ever know what this unknown species is.

Some weird news articles to tide you over.

Until I have time to write something with more substance I thought I'd share with you some interesting news articles I've come across over the past week.

'Vampire' stalks Siberian livestock
The Army's Bold Plan to Turn Soldiers Into Telepaths
Orange Goo Washing Up In Alaska Village Of Kivalina

Enjoy.