I've blogged extensively about the connections between the UFO phenomenon and folkloric accounts of fairies and spirits. I've also written a little bit about some government conspiracy theories. Now, taking a turn toward unifying all of this strangeness, I present this article that I very much enjoyed reading:
Behind the Mask: Aliens or Cosmic Jokers?
Hopefully you'll all find it as intriguing and interesting as I did. All of this talk of the Nine is new to me which just goes to show that no matter how much you think you've heard of, there's always something else out there.
Showing posts with label spirits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirits. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Are spirits real?
Spirits are a staple of mysticism and magic all over the world but our modern society tends to regard spirits as fantasy and delusion. This view of spirits and the spirit world tends to come down to the assumption that they just aren't "real." Of course when we say "real" here we mean it in the materialist sense of physical existence, strings and pulleys, visible causation.
What about the mind though? It should come as no surprise to any mystic or magician that the mind is the fundamental tool of the occult arts. The mind is also how we perceive and interpret our world. I think most people would agree that the mind is very real even though it's rather hard to quantify in the materialist sense. Does something happening in the mind or being perceived solely through the mind make it any less real? The mind has a level of "real" all its own.
Most spirit communication relies on an altered state of consciousness or a level of trance in order for it to take place. These very altered states that make working with spirits possible are the same things that make spirit communication seem so improbable to most people. We've been conditioned to believe that our minds are fallible, cannot be trusted, and are prone to leading us astray. All of this may be true to a point but it cannot be absolutely true as we experience everything through our minds and most of us have come to a consensus about things that are true and real despite being perceived through the mind. The fallibility of perception and the mind is an easy way to explain away things we don't want to exist or are difficult to accept while still relying on our perceptions to understand the more desirable parts of our reality or the things that just can't be ignored.
So do spirits need to have an objective material presence to be considered real? I would say not considering that the very label of "spirit" has connotations of an incorporeal existence in the first place. We've just been conditioned to accept anything not solid, material, and objectively verifiable as being false. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, this skepticism toward unverifiable claims or experiences. However, belief in objectively unverifiable phenomena or the belief that phenomena that happen solely in the mind are still real are not threats like they seem to be perceived in some arguments and debates.
In my opinion, just interacting with an entity or intelligence that could be considered a spirit, whether it exists outside of the mind or is just an expression of the mind, makes the spirit real. Charging a spirit with a task and then reaping the desired outcome makes the spirit real. Whether the outcome was coincidence makes no difference from a pragmatic perspective. This isn't going to satisfy staunch materialists but those are the types that usually aren't going to delve into this area of study in the first place.
Believing in a spirit world or in the existence of spirits does not undermine empirical evidence or scientific achievement. The very unverifiable nature of spiritual phenomenon, how illogical it seems to be, means that science and those that tout it as a superior epistemology shouldn't be all that concerned with it anyway. Whether it's "real" or not doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. People will continue to have experiences with spirits, work with spirits, and espouse the existence of a spiritual world whether the materialists like it or not. Hopefully this musing has given you something to think about.
I think it should also be noted that it's been one year to the day since I started this blog. Thank you to everyone that stops by to read my posts. It's the readers that have kept me going with this project whenever I'd thought I'd run out of things to say or when I wondered if it mattered at all. My only hope is that whatever I have to say gets others thinking about these subjects and maybe inspires them to take the information further.
What about the mind though? It should come as no surprise to any mystic or magician that the mind is the fundamental tool of the occult arts. The mind is also how we perceive and interpret our world. I think most people would agree that the mind is very real even though it's rather hard to quantify in the materialist sense. Does something happening in the mind or being perceived solely through the mind make it any less real? The mind has a level of "real" all its own.
Most spirit communication relies on an altered state of consciousness or a level of trance in order for it to take place. These very altered states that make working with spirits possible are the same things that make spirit communication seem so improbable to most people. We've been conditioned to believe that our minds are fallible, cannot be trusted, and are prone to leading us astray. All of this may be true to a point but it cannot be absolutely true as we experience everything through our minds and most of us have come to a consensus about things that are true and real despite being perceived through the mind. The fallibility of perception and the mind is an easy way to explain away things we don't want to exist or are difficult to accept while still relying on our perceptions to understand the more desirable parts of our reality or the things that just can't be ignored.
So do spirits need to have an objective material presence to be considered real? I would say not considering that the very label of "spirit" has connotations of an incorporeal existence in the first place. We've just been conditioned to accept anything not solid, material, and objectively verifiable as being false. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, this skepticism toward unverifiable claims or experiences. However, belief in objectively unverifiable phenomena or the belief that phenomena that happen solely in the mind are still real are not threats like they seem to be perceived in some arguments and debates.
In my opinion, just interacting with an entity or intelligence that could be considered a spirit, whether it exists outside of the mind or is just an expression of the mind, makes the spirit real. Charging a spirit with a task and then reaping the desired outcome makes the spirit real. Whether the outcome was coincidence makes no difference from a pragmatic perspective. This isn't going to satisfy staunch materialists but those are the types that usually aren't going to delve into this area of study in the first place.
Believing in a spirit world or in the existence of spirits does not undermine empirical evidence or scientific achievement. The very unverifiable nature of spiritual phenomenon, how illogical it seems to be, means that science and those that tout it as a superior epistemology shouldn't be all that concerned with it anyway. Whether it's "real" or not doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. People will continue to have experiences with spirits, work with spirits, and espouse the existence of a spiritual world whether the materialists like it or not. Hopefully this musing has given you something to think about.
I think it should also be noted that it's been one year to the day since I started this blog. Thank you to everyone that stops by to read my posts. It's the readers that have kept me going with this project whenever I'd thought I'd run out of things to say or when I wondered if it mattered at all. My only hope is that whatever I have to say gets others thinking about these subjects and maybe inspires them to take the information further.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
If ETs are coming to Earth then where are they?
I've brought up the similarities between UFO sightings and older, more magical phenomena like fairies before. I have been thinking for a while that these phenomena are one and the same and the extraterrestrial explanation is just our modern take on something that has been happening for a very long time. Pondering the Fermi Paradox earlier today it occurred to me that the evidence of intelligent extraterrestrials visiting us (or existing at all) is severely lacking. Sure, there are lots of things that could be interpreted as evidence for extraterrestrials, but there doesn't seem to be anything really concrete that says "All of these things are caused by aliens."
No doubt the UFO phenomenon is real. People see strange and unidentifiable objects in the skies all the time. Unidentified does not necessarily mean extraterrestrial though. That we jump to the extraterrestrial hypothesis as an explanation for UFOs tells how much our collective thinking has been affected by the times we live in. Science fiction influences aside, we assume that since we can travel into space that an advanced alien civilization should be able to travel much farther into space, bend space and time itself, and generally defy the laws of physics as we know them.
That's the real rub of it: the defying of the laws of physics. To get here from another star in a timely manner, as well as to remain undetected by humans, these aliens would have to have technology that resembled magic to us simply because it would defy all understanding that we have of how the universe works. We're talking faster-than-light travel, wormholes, unimaginable energy sources, etc. Thinking about this, there's little wonder some ufologists have looked at the magical descriptions of strange things in the past and decided that they must be the product of extraterrestrial technology.
There is another possibility though, just as incredible but for some reason treated as infinitely less likely. What if all of these unexplained UFO sightings, alien abductions, messages channeled by contactees, etc. are the product of spirits? I should probably clarify what I mean by spirits here. I mean beings from beyond the physical plane of existence. More modern terms might be extradimensionals or ultraterrestrials. I am not referring to ghosts or the souls of deceased humans, but beings that have never been human at all.
Grimoires of magical knowledge such as the Keys of Solomon discuss at length how to contact non-human spirits. To most people this will seem impossible, but once you've accomplished it for yourself it seems a lot more believable. Beings capable of moving between planes of existence, in some cases capable of affecting events on the physical plane, seem to be on par with how we think of extraterrestrials; especially in some New Age circles and UFO cults. There are also parallels between spirit channeling and the channeling of extraterrestrials. When looking at the similarities, extraterrestrials and spirits could be interchanged in most narratives and the story would remain the same.
The more I ponder this subject the more I think that it's likely that we aren't being visited by extremely advanced flesh-and-blood intelligent extraterrestrials. The odds against them existing, finding us, having enough interest to interact, and then having the ability to get here are just staggering. But what about beings (spirits) that are capable of moving between planes of existence, not bound by the limitations of time or space, that have been interacting with humans since the dawn of our species? Is that any more likely? It bypasses several of the problems in the extraterrestrial hypothesis at the cost of invoking a mystical view of reality that is extremely distasteful to some people.
Personally, after the experiences I've had, I'm more inclined to believe in spirits than extraterrestrials visiting us. I would even go so far as to say that those claiming to have encounters with extraterrestrials through channeling or abduction may actually be contacting non-human spirits (if they are contacting anything at all). Again, it is our modern mindset that prohibits us from believing in spirits but allows us to accept extraterrestrial visitation as a possibility. If UFOs and other phenomena ascribed to extraterrestrials are actually caused by spirits then that could explain why we can't seem to find these mischievous aliens; they simply aren't sticking around on the physical plane long enough to be caught. Not being native to the physical plane, they may even be incapable of truly being "caught" as we might catch an animal in order to study it.
Whether a strange being is an alien or a spirit may ultimately be totally up to the perceptions and beliefs of those encountering it. These are just my ongoing observations and musings on the subject; take them as you will.
No doubt the UFO phenomenon is real. People see strange and unidentifiable objects in the skies all the time. Unidentified does not necessarily mean extraterrestrial though. That we jump to the extraterrestrial hypothesis as an explanation for UFOs tells how much our collective thinking has been affected by the times we live in. Science fiction influences aside, we assume that since we can travel into space that an advanced alien civilization should be able to travel much farther into space, bend space and time itself, and generally defy the laws of physics as we know them.
That's the real rub of it: the defying of the laws of physics. To get here from another star in a timely manner, as well as to remain undetected by humans, these aliens would have to have technology that resembled magic to us simply because it would defy all understanding that we have of how the universe works. We're talking faster-than-light travel, wormholes, unimaginable energy sources, etc. Thinking about this, there's little wonder some ufologists have looked at the magical descriptions of strange things in the past and decided that they must be the product of extraterrestrial technology.
There is another possibility though, just as incredible but for some reason treated as infinitely less likely. What if all of these unexplained UFO sightings, alien abductions, messages channeled by contactees, etc. are the product of spirits? I should probably clarify what I mean by spirits here. I mean beings from beyond the physical plane of existence. More modern terms might be extradimensionals or ultraterrestrials. I am not referring to ghosts or the souls of deceased humans, but beings that have never been human at all.
Grimoires of magical knowledge such as the Keys of Solomon discuss at length how to contact non-human spirits. To most people this will seem impossible, but once you've accomplished it for yourself it seems a lot more believable. Beings capable of moving between planes of existence, in some cases capable of affecting events on the physical plane, seem to be on par with how we think of extraterrestrials; especially in some New Age circles and UFO cults. There are also parallels between spirit channeling and the channeling of extraterrestrials. When looking at the similarities, extraterrestrials and spirits could be interchanged in most narratives and the story would remain the same.
The more I ponder this subject the more I think that it's likely that we aren't being visited by extremely advanced flesh-and-blood intelligent extraterrestrials. The odds against them existing, finding us, having enough interest to interact, and then having the ability to get here are just staggering. But what about beings (spirits) that are capable of moving between planes of existence, not bound by the limitations of time or space, that have been interacting with humans since the dawn of our species? Is that any more likely? It bypasses several of the problems in the extraterrestrial hypothesis at the cost of invoking a mystical view of reality that is extremely distasteful to some people.
Personally, after the experiences I've had, I'm more inclined to believe in spirits than extraterrestrials visiting us. I would even go so far as to say that those claiming to have encounters with extraterrestrials through channeling or abduction may actually be contacting non-human spirits (if they are contacting anything at all). Again, it is our modern mindset that prohibits us from believing in spirits but allows us to accept extraterrestrial visitation as a possibility. If UFOs and other phenomena ascribed to extraterrestrials are actually caused by spirits then that could explain why we can't seem to find these mischievous aliens; they simply aren't sticking around on the physical plane long enough to be caught. Not being native to the physical plane, they may even be incapable of truly being "caught" as we might catch an animal in order to study it.
Whether a strange being is an alien or a spirit may ultimately be totally up to the perceptions and beliefs of those encountering it. These are just my ongoing observations and musings on the subject; take them as you will.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Obfuscation in the Occult and why it's necessary.
Those of you that have had even a passing interest in the occult or magic(k) have probably taken a glimpse through books of spells or maybe even online editions of old Renaissance grimoires. I think something that really stands out in older sources is the extreme effort put into preparation for a magical operation, sometimes starting months before the operation itself is to be performed. The engraving of specific metal plates with specific symbols, paying tributes of specific substances, fasting, and complex ritualistic preparations are all rather common in older books of evocation.
Likewise, alchemy is famous for its complex or confusing language and codes. Substances are called by the names of mythical animals, symbols and ciphers are substituted for ingredients and processes, and allegory is implemented to instruct the seeker in the proper way to do things. To someone that has no knowledge of the symbolism behind these allegories and associations this can all appear rather daunting.
Alchemy and evocation (among other practices) have in common the obfuscation and complication of things for a reason. In the case of evocation, I think that a lot of preparations exist simply to test the resolve of the potential summoner or to turn away those that cannot see through this ruse. Few people are going to go through eighteen months of preparations just to summon one angel. This keeps the unworthy from dabbling in the art. In the case of alchemy, all of the obfuscation exists to keep certain secrets hidden from the uninitiated and to perhaps keep the alchemist safe from factions that might be less than understanding of their art. There are many alchemical products that are dangerous or powerful and understandably cannot be laid bare to all comers in plain language. Depending on the time period and location it might also be unwise for an alchemist to plainly state what they were up to, lest they offend the predominant faith.
Alchemical processes can also be read as more than just physical operations. Some alchemical recipes are written to resemble literal laboratory operations when they are actually instructing the alchemist on something that must take place in the inner laboratory of the mind and soul. For the true alchemists, spiritual transformation was the goal of the art; not the production of precious metals as many think. By writing things in a cryptic way, the master alchemist ensures that the amateur alchemist comes to understand the deeper meanings with time and practice of the art. The knowledge would have little value if it was acquired by any other means.
Cryptic language and double meanings in the occult are not simply dramatic devices to maintain a mysterious air around certain practices. Many people in this day and age may strive to be unnecessarily cryptic or mysterious for show, but when these occult practices were first being developed it was very important to hide meanings and lead the unfit astray. Take this into consideration the next time you pore over a Renaissance grimoire and find yourself unable to follow what's going on. Sometimes you just have to look a little deeper.
Likewise, alchemy is famous for its complex or confusing language and codes. Substances are called by the names of mythical animals, symbols and ciphers are substituted for ingredients and processes, and allegory is implemented to instruct the seeker in the proper way to do things. To someone that has no knowledge of the symbolism behind these allegories and associations this can all appear rather daunting.
Alchemy and evocation (among other practices) have in common the obfuscation and complication of things for a reason. In the case of evocation, I think that a lot of preparations exist simply to test the resolve of the potential summoner or to turn away those that cannot see through this ruse. Few people are going to go through eighteen months of preparations just to summon one angel. This keeps the unworthy from dabbling in the art. In the case of alchemy, all of the obfuscation exists to keep certain secrets hidden from the uninitiated and to perhaps keep the alchemist safe from factions that might be less than understanding of their art. There are many alchemical products that are dangerous or powerful and understandably cannot be laid bare to all comers in plain language. Depending on the time period and location it might also be unwise for an alchemist to plainly state what they were up to, lest they offend the predominant faith.
Alchemical processes can also be read as more than just physical operations. Some alchemical recipes are written to resemble literal laboratory operations when they are actually instructing the alchemist on something that must take place in the inner laboratory of the mind and soul. For the true alchemists, spiritual transformation was the goal of the art; not the production of precious metals as many think. By writing things in a cryptic way, the master alchemist ensures that the amateur alchemist comes to understand the deeper meanings with time and practice of the art. The knowledge would have little value if it was acquired by any other means.
Cryptic language and double meanings in the occult are not simply dramatic devices to maintain a mysterious air around certain practices. Many people in this day and age may strive to be unnecessarily cryptic or mysterious for show, but when these occult practices were first being developed it was very important to hide meanings and lead the unfit astray. Take this into consideration the next time you pore over a Renaissance grimoire and find yourself unable to follow what's going on. Sometimes you just have to look a little deeper.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thailand shows that it is not impossible for the supernatural and the modern world to coexist.
Thais Look to the Supernatural
The Western world typically treats things like astrology and horoscopes as entertainment only. In Thailand, coups have been initiated because of the advice of a fortune teller. Some might argue that this is superstition overriding common sense and reason. The Thais might say that it works for them.
The Western world typically treats things like astrology and horoscopes as entertainment only. In Thailand, coups have been initiated because of the advice of a fortune teller. Some might argue that this is superstition overriding common sense and reason. The Thais might say that it works for them.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Poltergeists: Spirits of the Dead or Uncontrolled Psychokinesis?
Of all ghostly phenomena, poltergeists are the most startling. Objects move, appear and disappear, and the poltergeist may even lash out at people violently. The popular notion of the poltergeist is reflected in the meaning of its name: "noisy spirit." There are some that believe that poltergeist activity may actually come from a living human being. How is that possible? Spontaneous recurrent psychokinesis (RSPK).
The trend in parapsychology in recent years has been to lean toward the RSPK explanation for poltergeist activity. This makes some sense as poltergeist activity is commonly focused on one person, the activity only present in their vicinity. This explanation proposes that some individuals, when under emotional distress, will release that tension through psychokinesis. These people are usually completely unaware that they are causing these strange events and many are terrified of what's happening. This leads to the belief in a noisy spirit haunting the person or place.
This implies that people are capable of amazing feats of psychokinesis when under stress, but they are not in conscious control of what happens. This explanation also requires no idea of an afterlife to explain poltergeist activity. Poltergeist activity, however, is only one small part of the greater realm of ghosts and hauntings.
Then again, maybe both the spirits-of-the-dead and the RSPK theories are accurate. If a deceased person is able to perform the seemingly impossible feats of a poltergeist then why wouldn't a living person be able to do the same? I have no preference, myself. I think that one is just as likely as the other and that they are not mutually exclusive. I am convinced of the human capacity for psychokinesis and I also find it likely that we continue on in some form after death. I hope that future research will shed light on both of these subjects.
If you would like to read more about ghosts, poltergeists, and the quest for answers then please see this article.
The trend in parapsychology in recent years has been to lean toward the RSPK explanation for poltergeist activity. This makes some sense as poltergeist activity is commonly focused on one person, the activity only present in their vicinity. This explanation proposes that some individuals, when under emotional distress, will release that tension through psychokinesis. These people are usually completely unaware that they are causing these strange events and many are terrified of what's happening. This leads to the belief in a noisy spirit haunting the person or place.
This implies that people are capable of amazing feats of psychokinesis when under stress, but they are not in conscious control of what happens. This explanation also requires no idea of an afterlife to explain poltergeist activity. Poltergeist activity, however, is only one small part of the greater realm of ghosts and hauntings.
Then again, maybe both the spirits-of-the-dead and the RSPK theories are accurate. If a deceased person is able to perform the seemingly impossible feats of a poltergeist then why wouldn't a living person be able to do the same? I have no preference, myself. I think that one is just as likely as the other and that they are not mutually exclusive. I am convinced of the human capacity for psychokinesis and I also find it likely that we continue on in some form after death. I hope that future research will shed light on both of these subjects.
If you would like to read more about ghosts, poltergeists, and the quest for answers then please see this article.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Internet Demons
I've talked a little bit about demons before but I thought I would discuss the idea of demons on the Internet for a bit. It seems logical to me that with more and more of humanity migrating onto the Internet for various reasons that demons (in the neutral non-human spirit sense and in the malevolent entity sense) would follow. Indeed, the Internet has become a realm of its own.
So, what if there are demons on the Internet? This provides some new ground for exploration in the dated study that is demonology as well as some new opportunity for magickians. Maybe it even provides new opportunity for the sciences now that technology is inherently involved with the demonic activity.
This idea could even be spread to cover those strange electronic gremlins that each of us gets from time to time. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has had a computer do something incredibly strange and then never do it again. Could this be the hi-jinks of an Internet demon trying to upset me and feed on my emotion or is it attributable to the fickle nature of modern technology? Hard to say really.
I think that this is a neat idea, as neat as the idea that the Internet is its own living entity, and it could be expanded on greatly. I'll leave that for others to do though. I think the big question is: Have our demons followed us online? There probably is no definitive answer to that but the link below gives a short, somewhat disturbing, account of the ramifications.
Demons in the 'Net
So, what if there are demons on the Internet? This provides some new ground for exploration in the dated study that is demonology as well as some new opportunity for magickians. Maybe it even provides new opportunity for the sciences now that technology is inherently involved with the demonic activity.
This idea could even be spread to cover those strange electronic gremlins that each of us gets from time to time. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has had a computer do something incredibly strange and then never do it again. Could this be the hi-jinks of an Internet demon trying to upset me and feed on my emotion or is it attributable to the fickle nature of modern technology? Hard to say really.
I think that this is a neat idea, as neat as the idea that the Internet is its own living entity, and it could be expanded on greatly. I'll leave that for others to do though. I think the big question is: Have our demons followed us online? There probably is no definitive answer to that but the link below gives a short, somewhat disturbing, account of the ramifications.
Demons in the 'Net
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Summoning Demons
Recently I've been very interested in sigils and sigil magic. It just so happens that when browsing some darker areas of the Internet in the wee hours of the morning I stumbled upon an image file containing 99 sigils. Ninety of these are specific to particular demons, apparently. The remaining nine have more general purposes.
I don't typically dabble with spirits or demons but I thought this might be relevant to the interests of my readers. Whether you choose to work with this is up to you. I thought I recognized some of these names and symbols from somewhere but I've searched my books as well as the Internet and the closest I can turn up is this image, apparently found in a number of places on the Net besides the place I got it from. Some of these are evocative of the Keys of Solomon, but I can't find any matches. I haven't studied Solomon's works that closely though.
For those of you that might be brave enough to try this, let me know what happens.
I don't typically dabble with spirits or demons but I thought this might be relevant to the interests of my readers. Whether you choose to work with this is up to you. I thought I recognized some of these names and symbols from somewhere but I've searched my books as well as the Internet and the closest I can turn up is this image, apparently found in a number of places on the Net besides the place I got it from. Some of these are evocative of the Keys of Solomon, but I can't find any matches. I haven't studied Solomon's works that closely though.
For those of you that might be brave enough to try this, let me know what happens.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Ouija Board
Most of us have heard horror stories about dabbling with a spirit board (more commonly known as a Ouija board). The stories all tell of how the board opens a doorway between our world and another and allows for evil spirits and demons to come through. I've played with a Ouija board a few times and I have no reason to believe that there is any truth to this. I feel that spirit boards are tools similar to divination devices such as Tarot cards and pendulums. Whatever is on your mind is likely to be what you'll get with a Ouija board (if you get anything at all) and the movements seem to come from the ideomotor effect.
I would like to go a little deeper into this though. While the Ouija board may be nothing more than a toy, could it be used to contact spirits? I'm thinking in the same vein as channeling and automatic writing (neither of which do I have any experience in at this time). Let's say that an individual allows themselves to be put into a trance similar to how a channeling or automatic writing session would begin. Could that person then channel a spirit's communications through the board rather than through their own mouth or hand? Obviously this would still depend on the person being the go-between, but it could lend some credence to the idea of the spirit board being a communication tool with the beyond.
Of course, the truth of any of this would lie in the ability to produce verifiable information that the "medium" could not know through normal means, just like in a channeling or automatic writing session. This potential could perhaps be why the Ouija board continues to generate tales of bringing spirits into a home, much to the dismay of the inhabitants. Are these actually spirits though?
What if the individuals merely being open to the idea of channeling spirits from beyond allows them to unlock abilities of their own? I've mentioned in a previous blog how poltergeists are now believed to be recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis. Perhaps occurrences of any strange happenings in a home or presences felt or information spontaneously gained are actually coming from the living person and not an outside entity? Sometimes being open to something is all it takes to allow it to happen.
These are just some ideas I've come up with and I make no claims as to their validity but I try to look at things from several different perspectives. If any of you have any ideas or stories about your own Ouija experiences then let me know in the comments. I might even have to dust off my Ouija board and give it a try again. Also, be sure to check out the new poll on the right.
I would like to go a little deeper into this though. While the Ouija board may be nothing more than a toy, could it be used to contact spirits? I'm thinking in the same vein as channeling and automatic writing (neither of which do I have any experience in at this time). Let's say that an individual allows themselves to be put into a trance similar to how a channeling or automatic writing session would begin. Could that person then channel a spirit's communications through the board rather than through their own mouth or hand? Obviously this would still depend on the person being the go-between, but it could lend some credence to the idea of the spirit board being a communication tool with the beyond.
Of course, the truth of any of this would lie in the ability to produce verifiable information that the "medium" could not know through normal means, just like in a channeling or automatic writing session. This potential could perhaps be why the Ouija board continues to generate tales of bringing spirits into a home, much to the dismay of the inhabitants. Are these actually spirits though?
What if the individuals merely being open to the idea of channeling spirits from beyond allows them to unlock abilities of their own? I've mentioned in a previous blog how poltergeists are now believed to be recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis. Perhaps occurrences of any strange happenings in a home or presences felt or information spontaneously gained are actually coming from the living person and not an outside entity? Sometimes being open to something is all it takes to allow it to happen.
These are just some ideas I've come up with and I make no claims as to their validity but I try to look at things from several different perspectives. If any of you have any ideas or stories about your own Ouija experiences then let me know in the comments. I might even have to dust off my Ouija board and give it a try again. Also, be sure to check out the new poll on the right.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Shifting shadows or "shadow people."
Hang around paranormal circles long enough (or even watch paranormal television shows for longer than ten minutes) and you'll probably hear about "shadow people." Shadow people are exactly what they sound like: They are shadows that look like people that are entities in their own right. There are many theories about shadow people and many explanations of what they are.
Suppose you're just hanging out, doing whatever you would normally be doing at a certain time of day, when you see what appears to be a person standing in your peripheral vision. Your natural inclination is to turn in that direction to see who it is, right? When you turn to catch a glimpse of this person no one is there. No one is even in the vicinity. Sometimes you might even actually see the figure slink away into the shadows or around the corner, never to be discovered. Most people have probably had an experience similar to this before. Personally, I've had a few experiences like this, mostly with smaller shadows though. Shadow "bugs" or shadow "mice." I'll turn to see what it is and there isn't actually anything there.
I fully acknowledge that a lot of these experiences of mine are probably just fatigue, insomnia, and tricks of the eyes. Those of you that read the timestamps on my blogs should find it unsurprising that I'm usually up at the wee hours and this is most often when I have such experiences. I won't go into the scientific reasons why the eyes can trick us in this way; I'll only acknowledge that there are perfectly rational explanations for some "shadow people" experiences.
All of this in mind, I have had one experience that I cannot immediately chalk up to tricks of the eye. The most startling shadow person experience that I have ever had occurred perhaps two years ago. It was late at night, I had just brushed my teeth, and I was about to retire to my room but I was looking back into the rest of the first floor of the house to make sure the lights were off before I went to the stairs. I stood in the darkened living room looking down the night-lighted hallway into the kitchen. As I stood there for those few seconds a shadow suddenly appeared on the lighted hallway wall, a shadow vaguely human shaped and sized. This shadow did not stay still for long, immediately moving along the wall and off into the darkness. This would not have been so startling to me if I hadn't been standing still the entire time, surveying the kitchen to make sure the lights were off. This solidified in my mind that it was not my shadow.
There could be a rational explanation for my encounter but I'm unable to come up with one. This said, I'm also unable to come up with a paranormal conclusion about the experience. I was admittedly tired when this happened, but I have never had a fatigue-induced shadow appear in the center of my field of vision and then move off into the shadows. I do think it should be noted that there have been some somewhat unexplainable occurrences in my house, but I generally attribute most of them to settling, wind, and other natural phenomena as the house is over a century old. There is a door that used to mysteriously come open no matter how well you made sure it was closed (it no longer has this problem). Sometimes there would be a mysterious sound coming from outside that sounded exactly like a ball being bounced on the driveway when no one (and no ball) was there. That particular phenomenon hasn't occurred, to my knowledge, for at least several months. There are countless creaks, groans, moans, and thuds that occur in my home everyday (most notably at night, probably due to it being more noticeable during the quiet hours). I make no claims of living in a haunted house, but strange things do occasionally happen. This shadow person encounter was by far the strangest and most inexplicable.
So, what are shadow people? This often depends on who you ask. A popular theory I see often is that shadow people are supernatural entities that feed on negative energy. I'm not a ghost hunter, just a paranormal researcher. Ghosts and shadow people and other such things are not a primary area of interest to me but I have looked into those subjects a bit. When it comes to shadow people, it seems that anyone is free to come up with just about any explanation they want. I can't claim to know what causes the most drastic cases of shadow people or other shadow phenomena, but I do have some ideas.
I do not think that shadow people are deceased humans, if they are indeed real entities and not just illusions. In my research of encounters with what are ostensibly deceased humans I can't recall a mention of the deceased appearing in a shadow form. When taking a form at all, the deceased seem to always take a form close to the stereotypical vision of the ghost: That of an ethereal, transparent, replica of the person as they were in life. I do acknowledge that I have not examined every case of spirit communication ever though.
I do not think that shadow people are demons, or at the very least, not dangerous demons. I am speaking of demons in the popular sense: A malevolent supernatural entity that preys upon mankind; an evil spirit. I feel that if shadow people are demons they would not make themselves so apparent and would not be so obvious. Shadow people also do not fit with typical tales of demonic activity that I have encountered. Usually, when a malevolent entity is attacking someone, the entity is completely invisible to human eyes. Shadow people, overall, seem to be rather indifferent to human beings, choosing to simply observe from a distance rather than interact. It's not uncommon to see reports of people claiming to be watched by shadow people. I'm unaware of any case of shadow people actually causing harm or attacking anyone. In my opinion, this means that the idea of shadow people being malevolent entities (or at least overtly malevolent entities) is out.
What do I think shadow people are? I think that they (if they exist at all) are probably benign non-human spiritual entities. In my view, they are a natural part of the greater picture similar to the idea of nature spirits. They seem to me to be just as natural as human beings or trees; they are just another part of the world that we inhabit, albeit not as well understood as the other examples. This is, of course, just my opinion. I don't claim to hold the absolute truth about much of anything, especially not something as seemingly unverifiable as the phenomenon of shadow people.
If you have ever experienced shadow people (or shadow critters of any kind) then you probably have your own ideas about what they are. I'm always interested in hearing new ideas so feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think. If you're someone better versed in the subject then feel free to correct me on anything I may have wrong here. All I have to go on is my limited experience and what research I've done.
That's all until next time. I won't think less of you if you leave the light on.
Suppose you're just hanging out, doing whatever you would normally be doing at a certain time of day, when you see what appears to be a person standing in your peripheral vision. Your natural inclination is to turn in that direction to see who it is, right? When you turn to catch a glimpse of this person no one is there. No one is even in the vicinity. Sometimes you might even actually see the figure slink away into the shadows or around the corner, never to be discovered. Most people have probably had an experience similar to this before. Personally, I've had a few experiences like this, mostly with smaller shadows though. Shadow "bugs" or shadow "mice." I'll turn to see what it is and there isn't actually anything there.
I fully acknowledge that a lot of these experiences of mine are probably just fatigue, insomnia, and tricks of the eyes. Those of you that read the timestamps on my blogs should find it unsurprising that I'm usually up at the wee hours and this is most often when I have such experiences. I won't go into the scientific reasons why the eyes can trick us in this way; I'll only acknowledge that there are perfectly rational explanations for some "shadow people" experiences.
All of this in mind, I have had one experience that I cannot immediately chalk up to tricks of the eye. The most startling shadow person experience that I have ever had occurred perhaps two years ago. It was late at night, I had just brushed my teeth, and I was about to retire to my room but I was looking back into the rest of the first floor of the house to make sure the lights were off before I went to the stairs. I stood in the darkened living room looking down the night-lighted hallway into the kitchen. As I stood there for those few seconds a shadow suddenly appeared on the lighted hallway wall, a shadow vaguely human shaped and sized. This shadow did not stay still for long, immediately moving along the wall and off into the darkness. This would not have been so startling to me if I hadn't been standing still the entire time, surveying the kitchen to make sure the lights were off. This solidified in my mind that it was not my shadow.
There could be a rational explanation for my encounter but I'm unable to come up with one. This said, I'm also unable to come up with a paranormal conclusion about the experience. I was admittedly tired when this happened, but I have never had a fatigue-induced shadow appear in the center of my field of vision and then move off into the shadows. I do think it should be noted that there have been some somewhat unexplainable occurrences in my house, but I generally attribute most of them to settling, wind, and other natural phenomena as the house is over a century old. There is a door that used to mysteriously come open no matter how well you made sure it was closed (it no longer has this problem). Sometimes there would be a mysterious sound coming from outside that sounded exactly like a ball being bounced on the driveway when no one (and no ball) was there. That particular phenomenon hasn't occurred, to my knowledge, for at least several months. There are countless creaks, groans, moans, and thuds that occur in my home everyday (most notably at night, probably due to it being more noticeable during the quiet hours). I make no claims of living in a haunted house, but strange things do occasionally happen. This shadow person encounter was by far the strangest and most inexplicable.
So, what are shadow people? This often depends on who you ask. A popular theory I see often is that shadow people are supernatural entities that feed on negative energy. I'm not a ghost hunter, just a paranormal researcher. Ghosts and shadow people and other such things are not a primary area of interest to me but I have looked into those subjects a bit. When it comes to shadow people, it seems that anyone is free to come up with just about any explanation they want. I can't claim to know what causes the most drastic cases of shadow people or other shadow phenomena, but I do have some ideas.
I do not think that shadow people are deceased humans, if they are indeed real entities and not just illusions. In my research of encounters with what are ostensibly deceased humans I can't recall a mention of the deceased appearing in a shadow form. When taking a form at all, the deceased seem to always take a form close to the stereotypical vision of the ghost: That of an ethereal, transparent, replica of the person as they were in life. I do acknowledge that I have not examined every case of spirit communication ever though.
I do not think that shadow people are demons, or at the very least, not dangerous demons. I am speaking of demons in the popular sense: A malevolent supernatural entity that preys upon mankind; an evil spirit. I feel that if shadow people are demons they would not make themselves so apparent and would not be so obvious. Shadow people also do not fit with typical tales of demonic activity that I have encountered. Usually, when a malevolent entity is attacking someone, the entity is completely invisible to human eyes. Shadow people, overall, seem to be rather indifferent to human beings, choosing to simply observe from a distance rather than interact. It's not uncommon to see reports of people claiming to be watched by shadow people. I'm unaware of any case of shadow people actually causing harm or attacking anyone. In my opinion, this means that the idea of shadow people being malevolent entities (or at least overtly malevolent entities) is out.
What do I think shadow people are? I think that they (if they exist at all) are probably benign non-human spiritual entities. In my view, they are a natural part of the greater picture similar to the idea of nature spirits. They seem to me to be just as natural as human beings or trees; they are just another part of the world that we inhabit, albeit not as well understood as the other examples. This is, of course, just my opinion. I don't claim to hold the absolute truth about much of anything, especially not something as seemingly unverifiable as the phenomenon of shadow people.
If you have ever experienced shadow people (or shadow critters of any kind) then you probably have your own ideas about what they are. I'm always interested in hearing new ideas so feel free to drop me a comment and let me know what you think. If you're someone better versed in the subject then feel free to correct me on anything I may have wrong here. All I have to go on is my limited experience and what research I've done.
That's all until next time. I won't think less of you if you leave the light on.
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