Scrying

The image of a mystic staring into a crystal ball and telling someone's fortune is something that has permeated our popular culture.  The practice of scrying, or gazing into a reflective surface for insight, has been around for a lot longer than the pop culture fortune teller complete with carnival tent and turban.  The individual methods for scrying are myriad, but the basic principle remains the same.  You find a reflective surface and you gaze softly at it until you see something.  Some have applied this technique to candle flames and embers as well.

I am increasingly of the opinion that the focus for scrying only helps awaken dormant abilities, similar to how a ganzfeld setup can allow for clairvoyance to manifest when it would normally be overpowered by excess sensory noise.  Unlike a ganzfeld setup, scrying is something that just about anyone should be able to try with just a little bit of preparation.  The main requirements are a reflective surface to gaze into and a relaxed state of mind.

Your reflective surface can be anything from a pool or bowl of water, a piece of glass with one side painted black, a crystal ball, or you can even use a candle flame as I mentioned earlier.  When you set up your device you ideally want no reflections in your scrying surface.  This will probably require a low-light setting and to get the proper softly glowing reflective effect you'll want to try placing your light source (a candle or similar soft lighting) behind you.  Make sure that you can't see your own reflection or the reflection of your light source.

Softly gaze at your scrying surface and don't strain.  Just relax and look at the reflective surface.  After a while you may begin to see clouds or mist, specks of light, or other strange effects.  After a while, your visual field will begin to fill with darkness, clouding out the surroundings of the scrying device.  Don't be alarmed when this happens; it means you are right on track.  After this occurs you may begin to see images, either in the reflective surface or in your mind's eye (most likely in your mind's eye).  This is the effect that you're going for.

If you don't experience anything after fifteen minutes or so then stop and try again later.  It's important not to strain or force anything.  Just let it come naturally.

I haven't really gone further than this with my own scrying practice at present, but it is a very interesting activity if you're looking for a simple occult technique to pick up.  It can also be a launch pad for other occult practices as it helps develop your subtle senses.  Good luck and have fun with it.

Wikipedia on scrying.

Aliens or fairies? Depends on whom you ask.

It's interesting how phenomena can be seen or explained differently depending on the time period or culture they are observed in.  An example would be UFOs.

In times past, strange lights and mysterious disappearances were blamed on fairy folk.  The phenomenon of missing time that alien abductees report has similarities with the tales of the fairy realm having a different flow of time than the human realm.  If you look into the fairy lore there are a lot of similarities between fairy activity and UFOs and extraterrestrials.

So, is this the same phenomenon but seen through different eyes?  If it's the same phenomenon then which is it:  fairies or aliens?  Or none of the above?

Something that I find particularly interesting is that now we seem to be looking back over our legends and inserting UFOs and ETs in order to explain the strange occurrences told of in those tales.  This isn't confined to only legends either, but to history as a whole.  Ancient astronaut theorists have long pointed at the strange events of history and blamed extraterrestrial influences when in the past these events would have been blamed on fairies, angels, deities, or spirits.

I suppose what I'm getting at is this:  We view things through the lens of the time period.  How will we look back on such unexplained phenomena in a hundred years?

Merlin's prophecies reveal guidance from UFOs and aliens, state experts

UFOs over Utah? I don't think so.

Coast to Coast AM had an interesting Photo of the Day today.  The photo (which can be seen here) claims to be of an unidentified triangular craft in the sky above Box Elder County, Utah.  What sets this apart from most UFO photos is that this craft was visible in broad daylight (cloud cover aside).  This also isn't the only photo (you can see the rest on the blog created specifically for these photos).

Honestly, the only thing astonishing to me about these photos is how one of them managed to become Photo of the Day on Coast to Coast AM's website.  I'm no photo manipulation expert, but in every single one of these photos something stands out to me:  There are definite anomalies, either around the objects themselves or in other areas of the photo.  Others that I have shown these to have seen the same thing.

In the first photo (in chronological order as posted on the blog) you can see a vaguely triangular object in front of some clouds.  If you look closely above this object, you'll see what I can only describe as a distortion that is about the same shape as the object.  It almost looks like a picture of a pyramid was shrunken down and pasted over the cloud, then tools were uses to make it blend into the background.

The second photo could depict anything.  It is certainly an unidentified flying object by definition of the phrase, but there's no scale, nothing to compare it to, and it's just a black blur against some background sky.  There also appears to be some distortion around the edges (if you can call the whole object anything but a distortion).  It could be just about anything.

Photo three is the photo that was Photo of the Day.  Looking at the triangular craft (and you don't have to scrutinize it very closely), you can definitely see something strange around the edge of the craft.  That distortion seems to be the tell-tale sign of cutting and pasting, and then using tools to smooth and smudge the edges to make them blend with the background.  Again, I'm not a photo manipulation expert, but I spotted this on my first glance at the photo.  The manipulation is so obvious that it makes the thing look like it has an aura.

The fourth photo (the final one at the time of this posting) and its close-up show more unidentifiable objects in the sky.  These are little more than pixelated slivers against the background.  The low resolution of the objects makes it near impossible to determine what they are, but based on the previous examples I'm inclined to say that these are also meant to be a clever ruse.  I can say that they just don't seem to fit with the resolution of the rest of the picture (notice the cloud in the lower-left of the close up, which appears to be farther away than the objects yet better defined).

There are some more problems I have with this whole presentation as well.  If these objects are sighted so often that he has posted four separate photos over the course of that many days...  Why can't he shoot some video of these things?  My guess is that his manipulation skills aren't good enough to alter video convincingly.  On top of all of this I have to say that reading his story sets off my bullshit detector.  This isn't something that is quantifiable though, so take it as you will.

I'm open to the possibility of these types of craft existing whether they're owned by the government, extraterrestrials, or others.  I do not have a vendetta against UFO evidence or the UFO phenomenon.  What I do have a problem with is people that try to pass off fake UFO photos as legitimate UFO photos.  It's even worse when they manage to make their hoax work by getting attention from a popular radio show's website.  I reconsidered writing about this because I didn't want to funnel any more attention this guy's way, but then I decided that it didn't really matter since he was already on the front page of the Coast to Coast AM website.

As always, I encourage you to decide for yourselves.

Jerusalem UFO

The Internet has been buzzing about a UFO sighting in Jerusalem recently.  I normally don't take sightings like this very seriously and I grew increasingly skeptical when I finally watched video of it.  The video that I saw looked to be highly suspicious because the UFO looked like it could be faked by a trick of perspective and a small light rig.  No video tampering would be necessary in this scenario.

It then came to my attention that there were multiple videos from multiple angles, but others have done a good job of pointing out the flaws in each of those videos so I opted not to scrutinize them myself.  The whole thing just seems entirely too good to be true and the various anomalies that have been pointed out seem to suggest tampering with the footage.  I know that there are a lot of people out there that want to believe this is proof of alien visitation but I just don't buy it.  Aliens may be visiting Earth, but I don't think this is them.

Are aliens here? Shining white 'UFO' spotted over Jerusalem shrine
Jerusalem UFO 'Almost Certainly a Hoax'

I've stated my position but only you can decide for yourself.

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.

The Occult Origin of Modern Science

This may come as a surprise to some, but what we know as modern science began as studies into magic and the occult.  One might not recognize this if one were to look at the current view of magic and the occult in the mainstream.  To illustrate what I'm talking about I would like to call attention to the fact that natural magic (the study of astrology, alchemy, herbology, etc.) evolved to become the natural sciences.  Allow me to explain.

Astronomy as a science owes everything to the practice of astrology.  Astrology had us looking to the heavens to discover more about ourselves.  We tracked the movements of the stars and planets, some cultures with more precision than others, and we were able to predict what celestial body was going to do what next and perhaps what that meant for us.  When the telescope was invented astronomy really came into its own and the "superstitions" of astrology were divorced from the new science.

From the study of herbs and their magical and medicinal effects we arrived at pharmacology.  Mankind has known since the dawn of time that certain plants are capable of doing certain things.  Some are foods, some are medicines, and some are deadly poisons.  Through the study of correspondences and the spirit of the plant we determined what it was capable of, both magically and medicinally.  This knowledge of plant medicines led the way to modern pharmaceuticals.  Many powerful medicines are still extracted from plants.

Alchemy is many things to many people, but the quest for the power of transformation ultimately led to the birth of chemistry.  Over time, alchemy became less about transforming the self and more about transforming metals.  From this we began to experiment and observe more closely how substances interacted with one another.  New theories emerged and the symbolism of the reactions was forgotten.  Thus chemistry was born.

Something else that may come as a surprise to the modern reader is that Isaac Newton was a bit of an occultist.  That's right, the man behind universal gravity, calculus, and so much more was an occultist.  More specifically, Newton was an alchemist.  On top of his more accepted scientific pursuits, Newton had great interest in the Philosopher's Stone.  Newton also worked with antimony and it has been said that the star pattern formed by antimony alloys inspired his ideas of light and gravitation.

There is a lesson in all of this.  "Occult" simply means "hidden" and we should not run from what is hidden.  Some of the greatest things that mankind has discovered have come from the study of the hidden aspects of reality.  As such, some might do well not to hastily badmouth occult and magical pursuits.  If the natural sciences emerged from natural magic then what mysteries might await us in the study of ceremonial magics like theurgy and goety?  How about survival studies?  Extra-sensory perception and psychokinesis?  Astral projection and out-of-body experience?  Instead of shunning modern occult or paranormal pursuits, shouldn't we perhaps be looking to them as a means to gain even more knowledge of our reality?

Wikipedia on natural magic.
More on Isaac Newton's occult studies.

Update on the dead birds and assorted other creatures.

As far as I know, there are still no definitive answers forthcoming for most of these peculiar animal deaths.  For a complete list of these widespread events please see this link.

Something that I find interesting are the attempts to downplay these deaths without really providing any explanations as to what caused them in the first place.  A more paranoid person might say that this is sleight of hand to keep us from the truth.  That may be the case, but I think it's probably just the usual dividing of the opinions on an issue into a dichotomy.  One group thinks there's more to it that needs to be investigated.  The other group thinks that there's nothing to see here and it's all being blown out of proportion.  Both viewpoints emerge from the exact same information.

For an example of what I'm talking about, see this article:  Conspiracies Don’t Kill Birds. People, However, Do.

I'm still not sure what's causing all of this.  The more information that comes to light, the more I think it could just be the extreme cold of the winter that's doing a lot of this but without any definitive answers the cause may as well be anyone's guess.

Clearing up the chaos around the "new zodiac."

There is no "new" zodiac.  The Western Zodiac is based on tropical astrology, not sidereal astrology.  The precession of the equinoxes over the millennia has not changed tropical astrology, which is based on the Earth's seasons.  Sidereal astrology is based on the stars and that has changed, although not all at once.  If you follow sidereal astrology then you most likely already knew about precession and accounted for it.  If you follow Western Astrology (and odds are that you do) then nothing has changed for you.  See the link below for more information.

Ophiuchus and the "New Zodiac" -- Busted!

The ESP debate rages on.

ESP Report Sets Off Debate on Data Analysis

I think that this is just another example of finding any possible way to mitigate the impact of a study that suggests that ESP exists.  If the protocols can't be attacked then attack the data analysis.  When attacks on the data analysis fail, the critics will inevitably cry fraud.  This is not the first time this has happened and most likely won't be the last.  This said, it kind of makes you wonder about all the statistics thrown around in more accepted scientific fields.

In the constant effort to hunt down bias in results, critics might consider the obvious bias against ESP in the first place.  I don't think that ESP research has a fair shot under the best of circumstances, so it really won't surprise me when Daryl Bem's research is torn apart and kicked aside like so many papers before it.

Bem's results have allegedly failed replication so far which is, again, not surprising.  This happens whenever positive ESP results receive a lot of public attention.  There is usually very little discussion of these failed replications though.  One of the attempts to replicate this particular study wasn't even a true replication attempt as it did not follow Bem's protocol.  This, again, is common when it comes to ESP studies under scrutiny.

Keeping all of this in mind, if we ever hope to have any scientific recognition of psychic abilities then we need to stop relying on statistics that can be made to say whatever each particular side wants them to say.  All this gets us is endless battles over statistical analysis and proper interpretation of results.  If we really want recognition and acceptance then parapsychology needs to focus on more observable effects.  The best that I can think of would be macro-psychokinesis.  That is, the movement of objects by mental means.

Most, if not all, demonstrations of psychokinesis on a larger-than-statistical level have been decried as hoaxes with various conjurers stepping forward to demonstrate how they can do the same thing through parlor tricks.  Some performers, demonstrating what is ostensibly a psychokinetic effect, have been later exposed as frauds.  A small number, however, have not.  One such case would be that of D.D. Home, whom I have written about before.

The thing about psychokinesis is that most psychokinetic feats can indeed be duplicated by parlor tricks.  That is just the nature of the beast.  However, I think it would be foolish to proclaim that the PK feats are tricks when there's no evidence to support that claim in a particular case.  Just because something can be duplicated by trickery does not mean that it is impossible by less-deceptive means.  When one cries fraud the burden of proof is theirs.  All of this in mind, I still think that demonstrating psychokinesis will be the thing that silences the detractors.  It may take many years of laboratory study, but I think it's the best bet.

My message then is that anyone that wants psychic abilities to be taken seriously should set about developing their abilities to the highest level possible.  It is going to take direct observation of psychic functioning to get it viewed as a real phenomenon.  Even then you should expect fire from all sides.  There are people that won't be convinced no matter what.  Many psychics and researchers alike have been permanently disgraced because there was too much doubt cast on them, too much ambiguity in the results they produced.  Some just weren't vigilant enough in examining what they had to offer before offering it, or they tried to augment it with parlor tricks.  My advice, then, is try to prove it at your own risk.

Parapsychology going mainstream? - My previous post about this very topic.
Journal’s Paper on ESP Expected to Prompt Outrage - More on the debate and "outrage."

The dead bird situation keeps getting strange.

UFO strikes. A military death ray. Or the coming of Armageddon. Why ARE thousands of birds falling from the sky?

I think that this article gives a pretty good summary of the situation as it stands currently.  I really don't have anything more to say about it right now except that I hope we get some definitive answers soon.  The thought did occur to me that the shifting of the magnetic north pole might have something to do with all of this.  More on that here.

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 dead birds are still a mystery and more have joined them.

Dead birds falling from sky still mystify experts

Scientists still don't know what caused the birds to fall from the sky in Arkansas.  On top of that, there were more birds to fall from the sky in Louisiana and reports of birds falling in Kentucky.  There was also a mass fish die-off about 100 miles from the first fall of birds in Arkansas.

None of these things are really that unique as both have happened before.  Perhaps what makes this trend so startling is the short span of time between events.  I've seen some speculation that the government may be experimenting with something but I'm not so sure.  Something occurred to me while I was reviewing the new information though.  What if all of this is somehow related to activity within the earth?

Looking at recent seismic activity in the region, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe earthquakes or other activity within the earth were affecting the birds (and potentially the fish).  Perhaps more profound is the thought that perhaps these anomalies with the animals may be giving us warning of something to come.  Maybe the New Madrid Fault is getting ready to let loose?  It is a scary thing to consider, but it may be worth looking into.

This map shows recent seismic activity in the region.  If you zoom in on the activity in Arkansas you can see that there have been a lot of small quakes very close together just in the past week.  There was a larger quake near Kokomo, Indiana and a small one in southern Missouri as well.  I am not a geologist and I don't know how common these events are, but combined with the strangeness happening with the birds it has me worried.

This is the Wikipedia article on the New Madrid Seismic Zone.  According to the article, the New Madrid Fault produced four of the largest North American quakes ever recorded, all within three months time.  I only hope that this recent series of quakes combined with the series of anomalous animal die-offs is not leading up to a repeat of the 1811-1812 quakes.

Seismic activity could be releasing gasses (such as methane) into the air and water and that could explain the mysterious bird and fish die-offs.  If that was the case though, wouldn't the scientists testing the air have detected it?  To my knowledge, there is no evidence that earth gasses killed the birds.  Perhaps it was some other unknown aspect of the seismic activity?

Then again, the conspiracy theorists could be right; there may be something more sinister going on.  If there is a covert experiment being done then maybe it is related to all of these anomalies, including the earthquakes.  Maybe it's related to HAARP. This could still portend something potentially a lot worse that's in store for us, but only time will tell.

MORE Dead Birds Fall From The Sky: In Louisiana This Time, Not Arkansas
Dead Birds and Fish in Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana

A Fortean start to the new year.

Thousands of blackbirds fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Year's Eve, reminiscent of the Fortean phenomena of creatures mysteriously falling from the sky.  The creatures are typically fish or frogs but falls of birds have happened before.  While there are lots of possible explanations for the mysterious fall, no one seems to know for sure what caused it.

Thousands of birds fall from the sky in Beebe

Farewell to 2010

I don't have anything to post except that I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve.  May we see in 2011 the fulfillment of our goals and may we bask in health and happiness.  Thank you to everyone that keeps coming back to read what I have to write.  Stay safe everyone.

I would also like to say that I probably won't be posting every single day in the coming year.  I would like to focus more on quality than on quantity and I think that the blog will be better for it.  I'd like to go more in-depth on topics and in order to do this I will have to cut back my posting frequency.  It is sometimes very difficult to come up with a post every single night and I think that it shows.  This said, I'm planning to post at least once a week; hopefully more often.

Have a great time tonight and here's an early "Happy New Year!"

Project Phoenix - Psychotronic Weapons

Declassified STAR GATE/Phoenix Memos

These memos suggest that as part of the US government's psychic spying efforts under Project STAR GATE there was also a psychotronic weapons project going on.  Psychotronic devices, in a nutshell, work to amplify psychic abilities.  We can only wonder what devices these memos are referring to or what their specific functions may have been.  It would interest me to learn if these devices were any more advanced than the typical crystals-hooked-up-to-radio-parts you find when searching the Internet for psychotronic devices.

1982 Psychic Spying Research Program Proposal

Word that the US government has made attempts at developing Exceptional Human Functioning (EHF) such as psychic abilities is not really new.  What is new for me is getting to take a look at the declassified documents.  Reading through this stuff makes me wonder where it may have gone and where it could be at the present, as far as advancement of capabilities goes.  I've mentioned before that there's evidence that the NSA started its own psychic spying program after STAR GATE was shut down by the CIA.  This, along with other items of evidence, tells us that the government is still working with psychic abilities in some capacity.

Here is the research program proposal that I'm talking about.

Expect for me to link to and write about more documents like this in the future.

My ambiguous stance regarding some paranormal topics.

I've been told that when it comes to some paranormal topics that I'm very ambiguous about where I stand.  There is a reason for this and it is mostly because I'm not sure where I stand on a lot of things.  I believe that the UFO phenomenon is a reality.  However, I do not know what is causing it.  I believe that Bigfoot may exist but we won't know for sure until we find one.

There are some topics that I'm less ambiguous about because I have more knowledge or experience with them.  ESP and PK are two things that I am a strong believer in as I've seen the research that supports both and I've had personal experiences with both.  Magic(k) is another thing that I believe in (to some extent) as I have some experience with it.  In all of these cases, I don't claim to have the absolute answers of how they work; I just know that they do.

Another reason that I hold to some ambiguity is that I don't want to shove my opinions down other peoples' throats.  I'd rather just give my readers the information and let them decide for themselves (which I hope they do anyway, regardless of how I feel about a topic).

I guess the point of all of this is that if you see that I'm not taking a solid stance on some topic or other that it's not because I don't care about it or don't know anything about the topic; it's because I'm trying to remain as impartial as possible for the reader or because I simply can't say for certain.  Who can really say much for certain about the paranormal anyway?

My final verdict on the mysterious creature in Kentucky.

With some input from a friend and further inspection of the photos, I'm convinced that the creature I discussed in this post is a hairless opossum, probably the victim of the same kind of severe mange that is causing coyotes to be confused with the Chupacabra in other places.  I'm hoping that some official identification will be made by a professional, but I honestly don't expect to hear much more about this.  In case we do ever get an answer, I decided to put my judgment here for the record.

Creepypasta

For those of you that don't know, creepypasta are essentially short horror stories that proliferate on the Internet.  Many of them are uncredited and posted over and over again on anonymous message boards.  Some of them even take on the status of urban legend as they have managed to blur the line between fantasy and reality.  My best guess is that the name derives from "creepy" and "copypasta."

I am not really a fan of creepypasta myself.  I think that this is mostly because these things tend to proliferate on paranormal boards and when I'm on those boards I'd rather discuss actual paranormal things rather than fiction.  Sometimes most of the threads can be creepypasta, attempts at creepypasta, or discussions of favorite creepypasta.  That's when it gets annoying and that's probably why I have no taste for it.

In the future I may end up giving creepypasta a chance as I do recognize the creativity and effort, but right now I just find it a distraction to other pursuits.  For those of you that are interested, I present this link:  http://www.creepypasta.com/.

Mysterious Creature in Kentucky

Mysterious creature found in Nelson County

It looks like another mangy forest creature to me and not a Chupacabra or anything like that.  If I had to take a guess, I'd say it looks like a hairless raccoon and not a bloodthirsty killer of livestock.  No doubt the poor critter is strange looking, but I really don't think it's that much of a mystery.

Lately, whenever a hairless creature that's not immediately identifiable turns up it seems to be labeled as a Chupacabra or some other monster.  It's interesting to note that the original descriptions of the Chupacabra don't match the appearances of these creatures very well at all.