Cryptids of the night and other strangness

THE FULL MOON rose above the mountain in the cloudless night, shining like a pale yellow lantern into the farmer’s bedroom. But that is not what awoke him. It was the chickens. Their panicked cries had awoken him before, and it meant they were under attack. Wild dogs had gotten into the coop, the farmer thought, or perhaps a wolf. He leapt from bed, grabbed his shotgun from the bedroom corner and hurried outside. He checked the gun for cartridges as he jogged barefoot past the long, soft shadows cast by the moonlight toward the chicken coop. The predator will die tonight, he thought, as he pushed open the small door to the coop. He burst in and took aim. But he did not shoot. Instead, he froze, his senses overwhelmed by the sight before him. Several chickens lay dead in the dirt around the clawed feet of a creature the farmer had never seen before. This was no dog, no wolf. It stood on two feet at about the height of a small child. It had dark, scaly skin and a ridge of porcupine-like spines running across its head and down its back. In its short arms ending in sharp claw-like hands, the creature held a chicken to its mouth. It was not eating its prey, but seemed to be sucking the life from it. It turned to face the farmer, its red eyes blazing, and dropped the chicken to the ground. It hissed, baring its large blood-stained fangs. Then it screeched – an unearthly, terrifying noise that drove the farmer backward into the doorway. The creature, with its front claws dangling, hopped like some mutant kangaroo toward the farmer. Dumbstruck, he stumbled backward out of the coop as the creature hopped past him with another deafening shriek. The farmer was knocked to the ground, and he could feel rough, scaly skin of the creature as it passed, and felt the warm, sickening smell of its putrid breath on his face. The creature sprung onto the roof of the coop, spread short, dark, bat-like wings, and with two bounding hops flew away into the darkness. It was only then that the farmer remembered he had his shotgun. He brought it to bear, but it was too late. The creature from hell had disappeared with one last shriek that echoed off the distant mountains.

Although this might sound like some horror story fantasy, it is actually based on the eyewitness accounts and experiences of those who have encountered the enigmatic creature known as el chupacabras – “the goatsucker.”

The description, however, also seems to fit a number of other strange creatures that have been seen over the decades – creatures people have identified as gargoyles, the Jersey Devil and the Monkey Man. It’s worth examining the similarities and considering whether these all might be sightings of the same mysterious creature.

CHUPACABRAS

The now-famous chupacabras first came on the scene, as far as we know, in the summer of 1975 when several farm animals in Puerto Rico were found dead. The bodies had strange puncture-like marks on their necks. The sightings intensified in the 1990sas the chupacabras’ appetite seemed to grow. In some cases, farmers reported that literally hundreds of their animals were inexplicably slaughtered. Invariably, the animals were not eaten by any predator, but were horribly mutilated or drained of blood – hence the name, “goatsucker.” In 1991, a male dog was found dead, with nothing inside. “It was as if all had been sucked out through the eyes,” the report said. “It had empty eye sockets and all the internal organs had disappeared.”

For a while, the carnage seemed to be confined to the island of Puerto Rico, but toward the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s, sightings began to be reported on other Caribbean islands, in Mexico, Central America, Chile and even the southern U.S. in Florida, Arizona and Texas. In April-June in Chile of 2002, in fact, it was reported that authorities had even captured the chupacabras, which may have been taken away by people representing the U.S. government.

The descriptions of the creature over this time has remained fairly consistent:

• three to five feet tall
• dark gray facial skin
• coarse hair on the body, and several reports said it has a chameleon-like appearance, with the ability to change from purple to brown to yellow
• black eyes, or glowing orange or red eyes
• a wolf-like or canine nose
• sharp fangs
• short forearms with three-fingered claw-like “hands”
• a row of fins, spikes or quills running down the length of its back
• stands on two powerful-looking hind legs and clawed feet
• often hops on the ground, like a kangaroo, rather than walks (at least one witness claimed it could leap as far as 20 feet in one bound)
• some reported bat-like wings that enable the chupacabras to fly
• it makes a hissing noise that often makes witnesses nauseous

The chupacabras phenomenon continues up to this day, with the recent reports of attacks continuing to come out of South American countries, including Chile and Argentina. In many of these cases, chupacabras – although not seen – was blamed for the deaths of chickens and other farm animals that were mutilated and drained of blood.

THE JERSEY DEVIL

The legend of the Jersey Devil dates back to about 1735, by most accounts, in Leeds Point, New Jersey. A Mrs. Leeds, the story goes, upon discovering that she was pregnant for an unlucky thirteenth time said that the child might just as well be a devil. Folklore says that this prophecy came true, and that Mrs. Leeds gave birth to a horrific creature with a horse’s head and bats wings. Ever since, the legend goes, the creature has been haunting the pine barrens of New Jersey.

No one takes the legend seriously, of course, but the Jersey Devil has been blamed over the years for a number of mysterious livestock deaths and eerie cries in the darkness. And the first sighting in the 20th century occurred in 1909 when a Pennsylvania postmaster allegedly saw the glowing monster flying over the Delaware river. Less than a month later, the flying creature was spotted by a policeman in Burlington, New Jersey. A few days later, a woman in Philadelphia claimed to have seen a similar monster in her backyard. And that evening it was seen by two more police officers in Salem, New Jersey, and the next night by a fisherman. Note their collective descriptions compared to chupacabras:

• a ram-like head with curled horns
• long, thin wings (other accounts reported short wings)
• four short legs, the hind ones being longer than the forelegs
• walks on its back legs and holds up two short front legs with paws on them
• glowing eyes
• a head like a dog and face like a horse
• alligator-like skin
• able to breathe fire
• about three feet high (some described it as much larger)
• hoof-like feet
• one witness described it as looking like a winged kangaroo
• another called in monkey-like

There are distinct differences in the descriptions, but there are also many interesting similarities.

Although the Jersey Devil is alleged to have been seen over the years, none are taken as seriously by researchers as the 1909 sightings.

GARGOYLES AND GRIFFINS

Most of us are familiar with gargoyles only as silent and still (if scary) stone carvings perched high on cathedrals and ancient castles. And griffins are the mythological creatures having the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Stuff and nonsense, according to any skeptic. But, believe it or not, there have been eyewitness accounts of bizarre creatures that were likened to gargoyles and griffins. And it’s hard to dismiss the comparisons to chupacabras. In fact, one witness described chupacabras as being a “gargoylesque creature.”

Apart from mythology, the legend of real griffins dates back to at least the 11th century when Britain’s King Charles II allegedly gave a griffin as a gift to his mistress. Another griffin was said to be captured by a scientist who traveled with the great explorer Captain Cook in the 18th century.

These accounts are not considered to be true, yet there is a more modern report that may be worth noting. In 1985, an Englishman named Kevin Chippendale spotted an unknown creature flying near the rooftop of an apartment building. He described it as looking like “a dog with wings” and “having a long muzzle and four legs with what looked like paws.” Being of the British culture, he likened it to a griffin – in fact, the creature has become known as the Brentford Griffin. But we have to wonder if the very same sighting had taken place in Puerto Rico or Chile what the witnesses would call it.

And gargoyles might not be just stone carvings or lovable Disney characters. In an article for Unknown magazine entitled “We Saw a Gargoyle,” Ron Bogacki recounts how he and several other young adults met face to face with a gargoylesque creature. The encounter took place in 1981 in an Elmhurst, Illinois park. Hanging out on a summer night around the park’s gothic mausoleum, the four teenagers were awestruck by an incredible creature sitting atop the mausoleum’s stone wall. They described is as being large – perhaps 9 feet tall, if standing – with dark gray leathery skin, a muscular body with strong arms, golden horns on its head, huge wings and a long curling tail. They were close enough to have smelled its breath, which they described as “full of the stench of decay and sulfur.” It soon flapped its wings, flew straight upward and disappeared.

The description given isn’t much like the usual chupacabras, but it’s difficult to disregard the depictions of the chupa as also being gargoyle-like. If what these teens saw in the park was a “goatsucker,” it was the mother of all chupacabras.

THE MONKEY MAN

Throughout May, 2001, the paranormal news was all abuzz with the sightings and antics of a bizarre creature that was terrorizing villagers in India. It was no laughing matter; a few deaths were attributed to the panic surrounding these sightings. The first attacks took place in East Delhi and soon spread to other cities and villages. The entity was quickly dubbed “Monkey Man” because of its size and simian-like agility.

On one night alone, on May 14, 50 attacks were reported in East Delhi. The following morning, a pregnant woman fell down a flight of stairs to her death after hearing cries by neighbors that the monkey was coming. Physicians confirmed that those who were attacked were bitten by some kind of animal. And researchers have pointed out that the creature most probably was not a monkey since the Indians were quite familiar with monkeys, which are commonplace there and frequently come into the villages.

The creature was described as:

• about four feet tall
• quite agile, like a monkey (at least one report of a chupacabras said that the face was “simian”)
• sharp, metal-like claws
• glowing or flaming red eyes

* * *

There are many unanswered questions about all of these monsters, the primary one being: Are any of them real at all? Or are they the product of mass hysteria – myths fueled by panicked imagination? And if they are real, are they merely misidentified animals known to science?

If we are to take these eyewitness accounts at face value – or at least consider that they might be at least partially true – then we have a far more perplexing and unsettling mystery to solve. If the stories are to be believed, what are these creatures? Where do they come from and where do they live? The similarities raise the possibility that they might be the same or related creature. Their sporadic appearance, bizarre description, fierce attacks and elusive behavior have elicited many theories as to their origin, including genetic mutants, aliens, living dinosaurs, demons and interdimensional beings. Like so many things in the paranormal realm, about all we can do is speculate and wonder.

Contacting the Dead in the Electronic Age

No one can deny that computers and electronics have revolutionized life on this planet. There are electronic controls and computer chips in everything from the small appliances that toast our bread to the cars we drive, and make possible myriad forms of new entertainment, from DVDs to video games and iPods. We’re just at the beginning of this remarkable revolution.

And now many serious and casual researchers are claiming that some of this gadgetry can be useful in a quite unexpected way: to contact the dead… or at least allow the dead to contact us.

Obviously, these claims are highly controversial. They make many assumptions: that there is life after death, that the dead are interested in contacting us, and that they have the means by which to do so. Assuming all that, many people experimenting with electronic voice phenomena (EVP) and instrumental transcommunication (ITC) say they have received messages from “the other side” through tape recorders, VCRs, televisions, telephones and even computers. It seems we may no longer exclusively need Ouija boards, psychics and mediums to contact dear deceased Uncle Harold… just turn on the TV instead. Yes, even spiritulism has entered the electronic age.

These phenomena have manifest themselves since the appearance of the instruments themselves. EVP (electronic voice phenomena), for example, has been reported for well over 30 years: unexplained voices heard faintly on magnetic recording tape. It’s said that even Thomas Edison experimented with devices for spirit communication. Investigators around the world are trying to get to the bottom of EVP and ITC, endeavoring to explain, in one way or another, how these voices are encoded on audio tape, how unexplained images appear on video tape and TV screens, where phantom phone calls come from and how computers can relay messages from “the beyond.”

Here are some interesting cases of EVP and ITC, about which you can read more at the links provided:

Audio tape

Two of the pioneers of EVP were Konstantin Raudive, a Swedish psychology professor, and Fredrich Juergenson, a Swedish filmmaker. In the late 1950s, Raudive began to hear words recorded on blank audio tape and eventually made more than 100,000 recordings. (A CD of some of this recordings is even available.) Around the same time, Juergenson first captured unexplained voices while taping bird songs outdoors. He continued his research for over 25 years.

Is ITC phenomenon genuine? relates how Belling and Lee, a British laboratory, conducted some experiments in EVP, suspecting that the “spirit voices” were actually caused by ham radio broadcasts bouncing off the ionosphere. The tests were conducted by one of the leading sound engineers in Britain, and when phantom voices were recorded on factory-fresh tape, he was baffled. “I cannot explain what happened in normal physical terms,” he is quoted as saying.

Another interesting case is that of two Italian Catholic priests who in 1952 were trying to record a Gregorian chant, but a wire in their equipment kept breaking. Out of desperation, one of the priests asked his dead father for help. Then, to his amazement, his father’s voice was heard on the tape saying, “Of course I shall help you. I’m always with you.” The priests brought the matter to the attention of Pope Pius XII, who reportedly accepted the genuineness of the phenomenon.

Today, many individuals and groups are experimenting with and gathering EVPs. Dave Oester and Sharon Gill of the International Ghost Hunters Society travel the US collecting EVPs from various haunted sites, and they post many of their recordings on their site.

Radio

In 1990, two research teams (one in the U.S. and one in Germany) claimed to have independently developed devices that allowed them to talk to the dead. Using a modified form of ham radio that receives 13 different frequencies at once, the researchers claimed to have held conversations with several people who have passed on to another plane of existence. Dr. Ernst Senkowski, in Germany, said that he contacted a Hamburg dockmaster who died in 1965. “We verified this information,” Senkowski said. “He told us he was well and happy.”

In the U.S., George Meek, director of the MetaScience Foundation in Franklin, N.C., said that more than 25 times he has talked to Dr. George J. Mueller, an electrical engineer who died in 1967 of a heart attack. “Dr. Mueller told us where to find his birth and death certificate records” and other details, Meek said. Supposedly, it all checked out.

TV/VCR

In 1985, according to Instrumental Contact with the Dead?, German psychic Klaus Schreiber started receiving pictures of deceased family members on his television. Sometimes just voices would come across, telling Schreiber how to tune his TV for better reception. When Schreiber died soon after, his own image began to show up on the TV screens of some European ITC researchers.

Some researchers have claimed success in capturing ghost images with an instrumental transcommunication (ITC) set-up. With this technique, a video camcorder, connected to a television, is pointed at the television screen. In other words, the camera is recording the image it is simultaneously sending to the TV, creating an endless feedback loop. The frames of the video are then examined one by one, and sometimes ver distinct human faces can be seen. You’ll find examples here:

• Paranormal Dimensions
• World ITC

Telephone

In January 1996, ITC researcher Adolf Homes received a series of paranormal phone calls, according to Is ITC phenomenon genuine? Reportedly, a female voice said, “This is mother. Mother is going to contact you several times on your phone. As you know, my thoughts are sent in different speech patterns. The vibrational ties with your equipment make our contacts possible…”

Of course, there are also many documented cases of phantom phone calls, or phone calls from the dead. You can read several chilling examples in my article on the subject.

Computer

The seeming ability of entities to make contact through a computer were first noticed in Germany in 1980, according to Electronic Links to Other Dimensions & Entities. A researcher received a spontaneous message that appeared first as a series of letters, then words and finally phrases that referred clearly to a deceased friend of the investigator. Four years later, an English professor claimed to have exchanged messages (supposedly this was not e-mail) for over 15 months with a group of advanced entities living in the year 2019 as well as a man from 1546.

In 1984-85, says Instrumental Contact with the Dead?, Kenneth Webster of England said he received 250 communications via several different computers from a person who lived in the 16th century.

Can we believe such stories? Some are so far out that they should be taken with a megadose of salt. And the field of spiritualism and contact with the dead has always been so rampant with charlatans and fraud that there’s no reason to think that that tradition is not being continued with the assistance of electronic devices. But it’s always best to keep a cautiously open mind and welcome legitimate research into this dark, nebulous region of the paranormal.

Paranormal In The News

GHOSTS, HAUNTED PLACES AND POLTERGEISTS:

Ghostly image shocks St. John’s wedding guests
People at a wedding reception at the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John’s believe they caught an image of an uninvited and otherworldly guest. Newlyweds Matt White and Danielle Hann said one of their friends was shocked by the digital image she took at the June 18 event…

Playful poltergeist Nanny Goony haunting Scottish sweet shop
A sweet-toothed ghost has whipped up a storm in a teacup at a village cafe. The friendly “Casper” likes to move sweet jars and other goodies around the tearoom in the night. But the playful poltergeist sometimes makes an appearance during the day. Laura McKirdy and her mum Fiona believe they are being haunted by an old lady dubbed Nanny Goony by folk in Cardross, Dunbartonshire…

Historic haunting: New Gettysburg attraction explores town’s paranormal past
Rene Staub believes in spirits. During his 14 years as a ghost tour guide at the Historic Farnsworth House Inn property in downtown Gettysburg, Pa., he said he’s experienced enough peculiar events to believe that otherworldly beings are present. He’s smelled the scent of blooming flowers in February, listened to screaming women who could feel the presence of ghosts nearby and watched surveillance videos indicating the presence of spirits…

Ghost tourism mulled
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah wants to be known for more than just its scenic surrounding and warm hospitality. This year, the State will introduce to the world its other hidden charm – the spine-chilling, scary-world of supernatural and ghosts! The Ministry of Tourism Culture and Environment is mulling over the idea of having a cultural festival where mythical creatures such as ghosts, are the highlights of the event…

Should Christians believe in ghosts?
The question was recently posed to me by one of my readers. Stuart did not share my assumption that the world may contain ghosts who, among other things, might engage in haunting…

CREATURES:

Sasquatch family group footprints reported and examined in northern New Mexico
Bonobomichael: My companion and I, after learning that the New Mexico State Police had looked into a report from campers about strange sounds and huge footprints near La Queva Creek in Glorita, New Mexico, found a series of huge footprints in the area and followed them for approximately three quarters of a mile over varied mountain terrain until they faded out on an extensive rock outcropping…

Looking for Bigfoot in Indian Country
It has been more than 50 years since the legend of Bigfoot first captured the hearts and imaginations of the American public. It has been more than 50 years of sightings, investigations and debunking. But are we any closer to having proof that can pass scientific muster that this tall, hairy being with gigantic feet exists? No one has the answer to that question, yet some Bigfoot experts have figured out that the best place to get the evidence is in Indian country…

Bigfoot face prints: Debunked?
Today’s media coverage of the Fresno Bigfoot “Face prints” turned out as we expected, ambiguous evidence. Although the guys who discovered the prints claimed that they were positive that these prints that were found on a truck’s windows weren’t those of a bear, they failed to really show the world evidence that they said would eclipse the Patterson/Gimlin film.

CREATURES:

“Sea monster” found on beach in China
A 55 foot long sea creature that was recently discovered on a beach in Guangdong, China has people buzzing. The massive “Sea Monster,” whose 4.5 ton body was so badly decayed that it could not be identified, was discovered by a local fisherman known only as Hwang…

Large bird like creature seen in Fresno skies
Last week while attending the monthly Fresno Filmmakers Alliance mixer, a friend of mine approached me and asked me if I knew of any thunderbird sightings in the Fresno area as his wife and young son had recently spotted a large bird-like creature with a wing span estimated to be more than 12 feet in width…

Paranormal group seeks help confirming ‘Bigfoot DNA’
A California paranormal group claims to have DNA samples of Bigfoot — concrete evidence of the legendary creature’s existence — but they want help authenticating them. Members of the Sanger Paranormal Society will call upon the public to donate money and resources to their Bigfoot research effort at a Thursday afternoon news conference in Fresno, Calif…

The incredibly disappointing Bigfoot press conference

Bigfoot exists: Eyewitness Michael Smith speaks of his Sasquatch encounter
Geno McGahee: I have been a believer in the Sasquatch for quite some time, but there is a lot of nonsense out there. Hoaxers are around every corner, from those that put a costume in a freezer, to those that present a blurry video of a man in a suit walking across the road. It’s hard to take the matter seriously, but there is compelling evidence, most notably, the Patterson Film…

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA:

The psychic children
As a leading psychic medium I’ve lost count of the number of times someone has said to me that their children have spoken accurately of ancestors who died long before they were born. They can describe both their character and appearance. It doesn’t surprise me in the least but it can shock those left behind…

FORTEAN PHENOMENA:

Audio conversation with Brad Steiger
Brad Steiger is one of the hard working giants in this field. I was delighted and honored to spend an hour listening to his deep voice on subjects that I find profoundly interesting. When you visit Brad and Sherry’s web-site, be prepared because they have done a LOT of books and research…

Earliest art in the Americas: Ice Age image of mammoth or mastodon found in Florida
Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Florida have announced the discovery of a bone fragment, approximately 13,000 years old, in Florida with an incised image of a mammoth or mastodon. This engraving is the oldest and only known example of Ice Age art to depict a proboscidean (the order of animals with trunks) in the Americas…

Orbs follow car, then, man sees HUGE “rabbit”

MEDIA – BOOKS, MOVIES, TV:

Upcoming Global Asylum 3D Movie “A Haunting in Salem” provides milestone
Shannon Benna, an independent producer and creative director specializing in emerging technologies and entertainment media production, has become Hollywood’s “First Female Feature Film Stereographer” through her work on Global Asylum’s upcoming 3D feature film “A Haunting In Salem.” With credits that span traditional film, TV, and interactive content production, Ms. Benna served as On-Set Stereographer during the entire production of that project…

First look: John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven”
Given that he wrote about people who were slowly tortured, buried alive, and haunted by seemingly malevolent animals – and also married his 13-year-old cousin – it’s really saying something when you creep-out Edgar Allan Poe. But that’s what happens in The Raven (out March 9), starring John Cusack as the doomed author in a fictionalized story set in 1849 about the hunt for a serial killer who takes macabre inspiration from his tales.

Now for some paranormal news!

House torments child with whispers of violence
Three years after the Smithmeyers moved into their newly constructed home in Liberty, Mo., strange occurrences slowly appeared in their lives. After four years of unexplained bumps and slamming doors – things started targeting the children…

Ghosts spooked ‘X-Men- First Class’ cast at ancient British mansion
The cast and crew of X-Men- First Class has revealed that the Anglefield House in Berkshire, England where they were stationed for the shoot, was haunted…

Spooky experiences reported at Galion’s Brownella Cottage
Bishop William Montgomery Brown is obviously a prankster. The deceased man who some think still inhabits Brownella Cottage likes to open doors, mess with alarms and play with those who visit his home…

Mysterious fire woman pays debt of gratitude to spiritualist
For a whole month, hundreds of mysterious fires broke out in a 73-year-old widow’s house in rural Kelantan. When her problem ended, she pledged to come to Penang to thank one of the paranormal experts who came to her aid…

CREATURES:

Bizarre, unexplained creature photographed in Mexico
Last year, people in the small Mexican town of Chiquimitío were startled by the arrival of this bizarre creature. They took a few pictures and a short cell video, but this remains one of the clearest images of its head. What is it?..

Bigfoot group watchful along flooded Missouri River
They haven’t seen anything yet, but a group searching for proof of Bigfoot is alert for reports along the Missouri River, where they believe heavy flooding could disrupt the legendary creature’s normal comings and goings…

Muddy prints bring Bigfoot researchers to Gibsonville
At first, Bernadette and Leonard Braley didn’t pay much attention to the spots of mud on the road about 50 feet from their home on Quartz Court in Gibsonville last October. But then the Braleys began looking at the mud more closely and thought they looked a lot like footprints. Leonard grabbed the measuring tape and Bernadette a camera. They took photos of what they thought were 16-inch muddy footprints…

The return of the Boggy Creek monster?

A sixteenth century dinosaur
At first glance, the strange animal pictured on the left looks like a small theropod dinosaur — or at any rate, a rather cartoony caricature of one. Admittedly it has some undinosaurlike features such as horns and long droopy ears, and it doesn’t appear to have any forelimbs… but with its thick tail, birdlike legs and reptilian head it looks more like a dinosaur than anything else!

The giant salamander theory at Loch Ness
This is mostly here as a footnote. At the time that the “Monster” was breaking into news in 1933, local fishermen, boat-workers, dockmen and sailors allowed there had been scuttlebut there was a “Salamander” in the Loch which had been told of from time to time. Rupert T Gould eventually came to the theory that the Loch Ness Monster was a gigantic longnecked newt, which can be related to Charles Gould’s earlier theory that the Sea-serpent was a giant salamander, citing the Chinese giant salamander as the model to build the theory on…

A mermaid tale

EARTH MYSTERIES:

Animal mutilation in Argentina
Residents of the Los Eucaliptos district saw their habitual calm disturbed by a macabre discovery made by children playing along the intermittent Cuchi Corral creek. It was the carcass of a dog missing the rear half of its body and all of its entrails, as can be attested by the images accompanying this note.

SPACE MYSTERIES:

Is Google censoring Nibiru Planet X or is it just more 2012 paranoia?
The supposedly hush-hush conspiracy is known as Nibiru or “Planet X.” Today, people prognosticate the end of the world, creating dramatic YouTube videos featuring footage of natural disasters, while scientists attempt to explain the threat in coherent terms, many of which downplay the imminent danger…

RELIGIOUS MYSTERIES:

Shroud of Turin is a fake created by famous master Giotto, claims Italian art expert
The Shroud of Turin was made by medieval artist Giotto, it was claimed yesterday. The 14ft length of fabric, said to be the burial cloth of Christ, bears a faint image of a man and appears to be stained by blood. However carbon-dating tests have suggested it was produced between 1260 and 1390…

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA:

Psychic led police to Texas mass grave hoax?
The chaos that ensued Tuesday (June 7) as helicopters, reporters and onlookers descended upon what a “psychic” claimed was the scene of a grisly mass murder at a rural farmhouse in Houston, Texas, may suggest that psychics help out police on tricky cases. Well, in this particular case, what the woman claiming to be a psychic insisted would be dozens of dismembered bodies, including those of children – a la “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” – turned out to be nothing…

Psychics becoming popular in news reports
Psychics have always had a sort of stigma attached to their gifts when it comes to skeptics and rabid opponents of “the occult.” It doesn’t help when out of the many who claim to be psychic, only a very select few people actually harness ESP abilities.

Notable News!

GHOSTS, HAUNTED PLACES AND POLTERGEISTS:

Ghost photographed in model’s home
Argentinian model and actress, Emilia Attias has been pretty vocal about growing up in a supposed haunted house. She has described in interviews the types of phenomenon experienced in the house while growing up. Disembodied footsteps, voices and strange knocks were experienced in that house. Of course, one always disregards these types of stories as them being a child’s imagination. This would seem to be the case for Emilia Attias except for one thing; there appears to be evidence to support her claims…

Interview with John Zaffis of “Haunted Collector”
“Haunted Collector” is a new weekly series about the real-life hunt to find objects that may hold supernatural powers or be portals to the spirit world. John Zaffis and his crew of paranormal investigators seek out the strange and unusual, and often find it. During a question and answer session for members of the press with Zaffis, I was able to gather information about this new series…

Paranormal team reveal signs of possible haunting
The thump of heavy footsteps and the banging of a judge’s gavel in the old courtroom: All are signs of what local paranormal investigators are calling a possible residual haunting of the Museum of Ashe County History. The team, known as 3P Paranormal, spent a night in the old county courthouse in May to further their research of the unknown as well as to debunk, or clarify, rumors of a haunting in what was once the county’s social and judicial Mecca…

Not your everyday ectoplasm: Spirit mediums and nonhuman weirdness
The subject of spirit mediums, séances and spirit manifestations are among what are considered some of the more dubious claims out there these days pertaining to the unexplained, especially in the realms of serious psychic research. All too often we’ve been made privy to tricks and treachery used to fool the gullible and unsuspecting into believing they had witnessed manifestations of strange beings from beyond the grave, or sometimes even from other worlds…

CREATURES:

Mystery river creatures surface on both sides of the Atlantic
Was it an unknown marine monster that raised its head above the surface of the River Mersey in England on May 25? And what was the mysterious 7-foot-long creature that washed ashore near New York’s famous Brooklyn Bridge on May 21?..

Monsters and proof
People often ask me: When will we finally have proof for the existence of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra and the absolute menagerie of additional strange beasts alleged to lurk in the darker and wilder parts of our world? But when people ask that question, what many of them they really want to know is this: When will we have proof that Bigfoot is a giant ape, and the creatures of Loch Ness represent a surviving, relic population of plesiosaurs?..

Poll finds many Washington residents believe in Sasquatch and UFOs
Another 13 percent have seen Sasquatch or know someone who has. PEMCO Insurance Northwest, a local insurance company in Washington state, polled residents about Sasquatch and UFOs.

CREATURES:

Stalking Altie: Does Georgia have its own Loch Ness Monster?
An alligator spies on my family as we stand on a midden heap on a muddy bank of the South Altamaha River. Our flip-flops crunch on the jagged oyster shells and pottery shards cast off by Native Americans a couple of centuries ago. Our guide points out their importance to the history of coastal Georgia, but I can’t pay proper attention. I’ve brought my family to Darien in search of a monster…

Bigfoot video in May is a hoax, overlayed video on another

HUMAN MYSTERIES:

A curious case of foreign accent syndrome
Karen Butler could get her American accent back with intensive speech therapy, but she likes her new one. When Karen Butler went in for dental surgery, she left with more than numb gums: She also picked up a pronounced foreign accent. It wasn’t a fluke, or a joke – she’d developed a rare condition called foreign accent syndrome that’s usually caused by an injury to the part of the brain that controls speech…

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA:

Spirit whisperer
Whether you are a believer or not, the fact remains people who claim to have psychic abilities are among us and continue to be a point of intrigue. Charmaine Wilson, 46, of Brisbane is one such individual and is not shy in saying “there are a lot of questionable psychics out there”…

MEDIA: BOOKS, MOVIES, TV, GAMES:

“Investigating the Impossible”
Ulrich Magin. Investigating the Impossible: Sea Serpents in the Air, Volcanoes that Aren’t and Other Out of Place Mysteries. Anomalist Books, 2011. Ulrich Magin is a Fortean writer very much in the Magonia mould as his introduction to this collection of essays shows, where he contrasts the various approaches to reports of anomalous experiences. The skeptical one simply says that the witnesses are lying, or drunk, or crazy or just mistaken, or there is a ‘rational’ explanation and that is that, end of the matter…

PODCASTS WORTH LISTENING TO:

Are ghosts real? Guy Lyon Playfair’s thirty-year investigation yields insights
Skeptiko: Noted parapsychology investigator and author Guy Lyon Playfair discusses poltergeists, after-death communication and the telepathy of twins. Join Skeptiko guest host Steve Volk for an interview with Guy Lyon Playfair. During the interview Mr. Playfair summarizes what he’s learned about the poltergeist phenomena…

Eyes of the Mothman: Matthew Pellowski & Anastasia Konstantinou
Binnall of America: BoA:Audio kicks off their summer session by welcoming filmmakers Matthew J. Pellowski and Anastasia Konstantinou for a conversation on their film “Eyes of the Mothman.” Includes a number of bizarre stories from the making of the film, finer details surrounding the Mothman mythos, and a firsthand account of what Point Pleasant, West Virginia is like today.

Shadow People Revisited

There’s a growing interest in the phenomenon of shadow people. What are they? Ghosts? Interdimensional beings? Time travelers? Something else?

“WHAT WAS THAT?” You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of FATE in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading – and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall… and disappear.

What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon – apparitions that are coming to be known as “shadow people” or “shadow beings.” Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it’s a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings.

The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it is given widespread attention on paranormal talk radio.

What are shadow people and where do they come from? Several theories have been offered.

THE IMAGINATION

The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science – and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon – is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination. It’s our minds playing tricks on us… our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren’t really there – illusions… real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation. And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences. The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases?

GHOSTS

To call these entities ghosts demands first a definition of what we mean by ghosts. (See the article: Ghosts: What Are They?) But by almost any definition, shadow people are somewhat different than ghost phenomena. Whereas ghost apparitions are almost always a misty white, vaporish or have a decidedly human form and appearance (very often with discernable “clothing”), shadow beings are much darker and more shadow-like. In general, although the shadow people often do have a human outline or shape, because they are dark, the details of their appearance is lacking. This is in contrast to many ghost sightings in which the witness can describe the ghost’s facial features, style of clothing and other details. The one detail most often noted in some shadow being sightings are their glowing red eyes.

DEMONS OR OTHER SPIRIT ENTITIES

The dark countenance and malevolent feelings that are often reported in association with these creatures has led some researchers to speculate that they may be demonic in nature. If they are demons, we have to wonder what their purpose or intent is in letting themselves be seen in this manner. Is it merely to frighten?

ASTRAL BODIES

One interesting idea suggests that shadow people are the shadows or essences of people who are having out-of-body experiences. According to Jerry Gross, an author, lecturer and teacher about astral travel, we all travel out of the body when we are asleep. Perhaps, this theory says, we are seeing the ephemeral astral bodies of these twilight travelers.

TIME TRAVELERS

People from our own future, another idea states, could have found the means to travel to the past – our time. However they are able to accomplish this incredible feat, perhaps in that state they appear to us merely as passing shadows as they observe the events of our timeline.

INTERDIMENSIONAL BEINGS

Even mainstream science is fairly convinced that there are dimensions other than the three we inhabit. And if these other dimensions exist, who or what (if anything) inhabits them? Some theorists say that these dimensions exist parallel and very close to our own, although invisible to us. And if there are inhabitants in these other dimensions, it is possible that they have found a way to intrude on our dimension and become, at least partially, visible? If so, they could very well appear as shadows. It has long been held by psychics and other sensitives that beings on other planes of existence are of different “vibrations.” Science is beginning to look at reality, on a quantum level, in the same way – that particles of the smallest size exist as vibrations. Perhaps, some theorize, the vibrations of our existence are beginning to mesh with those of another dimension, which accounts for the increase in such phenomena as ghosts, shadow people and possibly aliens.

ALIENS

The alien and abduction phenomena are so bizarre that it’s no surprise that extraterrestrials are suspects as the shadow people. Abductees have reported in many cases that the alien grays seem to be able to pass through walls and closed windows, and to appear and disappear abruptly, among other otherworldly talents. Perhaps, too, they can go about their alien agenda disguised in the shadows.

There’s a good deal of overlapping among the above ideas, of course. Aliens and ghosts could be interdimensional beings, or aliens could be time travelers – and some believe demons are responsible for all of these disturbing phenomena.

There is no way to prove or disprove any theories about a phenomenon that is so mysterious, that happens so quickly and without warning. Science finds it virtually impossible to catalog or study such phenomena in any methodical way. All we can do, at present, is to document personal experiences and try to piece together what the shadow people phenomenon might be. Perhaps it’s an old mystery becoming more recognizable… perhaps it represents a doorway to and from different planes of existence… or perhaps it’s just shadows.

Wolves in sheeps clothing Pt2

More on what my wife and I had encountered at a revival from this year.

I’m going to make the details of what happened at that revival short for the sake of time, because there’s still many, many more details of what happened during and after this revival. About three weeks into going to this revival, things had been fine. In the fourth week however, things started going on that still makes me question why and how.

In that fourth week, my wife started talking about demonic possession, and dwelling on it pretty heavily. She told me people at this revival wanted to take away her ‘demonic powers’ (not in the interest to “heal” or “cleanse her”). Yes, I know that’s pretty far out there. My wife had been a practicing wiccan too. She never really told anybody the full details about any of that. I myself witnessed certain people there displaying very real signs of demonic possession. Full fledged Christians acting this way.

On certain night after returning from this revival, we could both feel something in the same room with us, staring or glaring at us with contempt. I will be truthful with all of you and tell you I have been apart of divinations, have had very real experiences with ghosts, poltergeists and the like. This felt kind of different though! Like this thing had a mission or something to fulfill.

In this fourth week of all this, my wife started having bad nightmares, started becoming fixated with Michael the Arch Angel and Hitler, vampires and others. She had NEVER been fixated with ANYTHING to do with Hitler, vampires and all that. I firmly believe this so called revival and the cronies running it had used some type of auditory based influence that might have had some prolonged psychological results as well. John Kilpatrick and his cronies like Nathan Morriss are fakes and are simply trying to deceive people through the use of religion to aquire money and further the new age Christian movement, which has nothing to do with the actual word of God!

Keep one thing in mind: I am not trying to destroy or persecute the religious community or trying to advocate Christian persecution. I am simply trying to expos false prophets and con artists here, and make people aware of the dogmatic and dangerous beliefs they advocate! Mr. Kilpatrick’s history speaks for itself (read the articles at this link for more details as well as this site for even more details and info on Mr. Kilpatricks history). As for the rest associated with this revival…guilty as charged.

My wife now is dealing with emotional problems when before she had no other problems other than daily normal ones etc. We have been married for 12 years now, and I have NEVER witnessed her become this disturbed all because of a simple revival. There is far more going on behind the scenes of this revival! If you have any thoughts about attending this event…DON’T! The paranormal aspects of this revival all are based on Eastern philosophies of Chi techniques etc. Among the other “tricks” these people at this revival have used and concentrate on to  keep the people enthused & coming back for more are being slain in the spirit, so called holy laughter (which is NOT biblical at all!) laying on of hands and so on. Here’s what all that amounts to, summed up in one shot:

Just as the Western psychologists are proffering ancient shamanistic practices in a guise which is more palatable to the uninitiated Westerners, so the professing Christian churches which peddle ‘religious fainting” have simply made the Possession-Trance state of shamanism more readily acceptable to the undiscerning sheep who attend their heated meetings. These are the true origins of the strange phenomena which are being so widely reported today and which are bringing the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ into so much disrepute.

 

Now to bring up another question…do you believe the true origins of so called demons to be the one we all know about, or do you think demons are simply a race of evil spirits with a very different origin other than what we know from the bible or Sunday school teachings? One thing is true here…my wife has been affected in such a way from this, that she will be  wrestling with a very real problem for along time to come because of a very dangerous situation created by con-artists who may very well be “in league with the devil” to further their own ends and hunger for power (and money). Religion is the most dangerous weapon human-kind has ever wielded! Think about this…religion can destroy families, religion can destroy marriages, religion is used to brain-wash, gain money etc. And the list go on and on.

My wife is doing better, but the effects of this encounter with these people will haunt her for years to come. Please do research the names mentioned here of the people linked with this revival. Watch the videos below, these videos are very telling about the true nature of this revival. Watch these and comment back about what’s on your mind.

The true nature of these so called revivals!

I’ll be posting more on this subject in the very near future. If you have any experiences to share about these revivals, please share them! There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes with these revivals than what meets the eye.