The Blog For Paranormal Happenings and News
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Erik Davis's Expanding Mind radio show
This weekly hour-long radio show hosted by author and San Francisco native Erik Davis explores the many dimensions of mind and consciousness. From meditation to parapsychology, from the effects of art and technology on our souls to the abiding mysteries of religion and spirituality, the show’s discussions are designed to expand our understanding and experience of ourselves while casting a critical and often humorous eye on the twists and turns that consciousness takes as it tries to make sense of itself and the world. Each episode will begin with a sparkling stream-of-consciousness riff by Davis, followed by a back-and-forth with his charming co-host Maja D’Aoust—a hip and sassy esoteric teacher based in Los Angeles. These will be followed with an interview with a scholar, writer, or practitioner, a “spirit song” of the day (a selection from Davis’ vast collection of religious and spiritual music), and finally a no-doubt lively back-and-forth with callers.
Bush invaded Iraq to thwart Gog and Magog's apocalyptic mission
Former French President Jaques Chirac says that in 2003, President Bush asked him to send troops to Iraq to stop Gog and Magog, the "Bible’s satanic agents of the Apocalypse."
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - not yet ready - Doomsday postponed!
Over the past couple of weeks, I have devoted several articles to describing the science, technologies and alleged risks associated with the LHC (God Particle, Black Holes, Strangelets). My conclusions reflected in those articles were that the potential advances in physics are well worth the $9 billion investment while the feared dangers associated with the act of smashing protons at 99.999999% the speed of light were overblown. At full power, the LHC will not place our planet at risk. Some readers respectfully disagreed with my conclusions and I invite you to read their comments posted at the end of each of these three articles linked above.
This recent wrinkle regarding the timing and nature of the LHC restart comes almost one year after the machine was shut down after a splice between two magnets vaporized (in a display that would justice to a 4th of July extravaganza all be it underground and in a tunnel) and damaged dozens of expensive 35-ton magnets.
Coalisland Ireland's ghostly attraction
Fourteen moonlit faces stared up at the jagged silhouette of the derelict house in the early hours yesterday. Shining torch beams into the thick mist, they were the latest midnight pilgrims to Mullaghmoyle Road, a quiet country lane on the edge of Coalisland, County Tyrone, which is fast gaining notoriety as the home of the UK's most talked about phantom.
Each night this week hundreds of ghost-seekers from Ireland and Britain have descended on the ruined cottage after dozens of recent sightings of a pale old woman drifting by.
Yesterday's visitors were greeted with a suitably haunting scene. Beneath a full moon the dilapidated stone house, complete with rotting doors and trees protruding through the roof, looked like the set of a vampire film.
Then, as if on cue, three shrill screams came from the woods, followed by a white shape halfway up a tree, looking suspiciously like a bedsheet. Moments later a naked, smiling torso bobbled over the hedge, accompanied by giggles.
The Truth Is Out There, and the Nation's Maddest Scientists Are After It
The Occult World of Ancient Kyoto
KYOTO — We all know Kyoto as the most popular tourist destination for Western visitors to Japan, filled with some of the most spectacular temples, shrines, rock gardens, etc. But did you know that this city, once the country’s capital for 1,000 years, has over its long history spawned a plethora of dark myths, legends and curses? You can still find traces of them if you know where to look.
Jisshu Shrine: Betrayal and Revenge
One place is right under the noses of the multitudes gawking at the magnificent construction of Kiyomizu Temple. Situated adjacent to the temple is Jisshu Shrine, a popular place for women who come to pray for good fortune in love. However, there is a darker side to this bustling sightseeing spot. Standing at the shrine is the Prayer Cedar, where as you probably already guessed, visitors come to pray. But bored into this seemingly innocuous tree are nail holes made by women who have been betrayed by their lovers. “Ushi no Kokumairi,” meaning “the 2 a.m. visit,” is an old Japanese means of cursing someone you despise and praying for their death by nailing a “wara ningyo” (straw doll) into an ancient tree at a shrine at the “hour of the Ox.”
Judging from the freshness of the holes in the Prayer Cedar, it seems this ancient practice is still alive and well, though according to someone who went and asked about it, the head priest is reluctant to discuss the matter for fear of encouraging more such unsavory behavior. Another place in Kyoto where the “Ushi no Kokumairi” has been performed is Kifune Shrine in Sakyo Ward, which enshrines not only a god of marriage, but also gods of divorce and curses.
Rokudo Chinno Temple: Passage to the UnderworldUtah Has Mountains Of Mysteries
It was Salt Lake City author Michael O'Reilly's intention to write a book that hit upon some of these stories, and he does so in "Mysteries and Legends of Utah: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained" (Globe Pequot Press, $14.95). O'Reilly is a writer, outdoorsman and business owner who earned his master's degree in poetry from the University of Utah.
His book is broken into 12 chapters, each dealing with a different subject, ranging from historical events such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Mormon handcart disaster, to colorful characters of the Old West like the storied, tough-as-nails trapper Jedediah Smith and the infamous, but lovable, outlaw Butch Cassidy.
In an interview with the Standard-Examiner, O'Reilly said one of his favorite chapters, "The Lost Rhoades Gold Mine and the Secret of Carre Shinob" tells the story of the legendary gold mine and a sacred Indian burial site containing spectacular treasures.
The Evolution of House Cats
Genetic and archaeological findings hint that wildcats became house cats earlier--and in a different place--than previously thought.
- Unlike other domesticated creatures, the house cat contributes little to human survival. Researchers have therefore wondered how and why cats came to live among people.
- Experts traditionally thought that the Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cat, some 3,600 years ago.
- But recent genetic and archaeological discoveries indicate that cat domestication began in the Fertile Crescent, perhaps around 10,000 years ago, when agriculture was getting under way.
- The findings suggest that cats started making themselves at home around people to take advantage of the mice and food scraps found in their settlements.
Vampire tourism in Forks, Wash., still strong
As reported earlier, Forks Washington is being inundated with vampires. (Not unlike Santa Carla?)FORKS, Wash. -- The "Twilight" tourism bonanza shows no signs of abating in Forks, an old logging town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula that's won new fame as the setting for a teen vampire fantasy.
Marcia Bingham of the Forks Chamber of Commerce says more than 16,000 people passed through the town's visitor center in July alone, doubling June's number, and in one month nearly equaling 2008's total of 18,485 people.
She notes that in the "old days" the Visitor Center focused mainly on teaching people about logging and coordinating tours of local natural resources. These days it's all about vampires and werewolves. Logging tours have been cut back from three a week to one.
And the numerous visitors come armed with questions. Among them: Is it safe to go camping with the vampire problems in the area?