PaulBizarre

Graveyard Wedding

2008-06-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Graveyard nuptials named among "most outrageous" weddings by MSN

CNN Reports: Common Household "Hauntings"

2007-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

Does your house have Ghosts?

By Keith Pandolfi

(This Old House) -- Troy Taylor is the author of more than 40 books on all things paranormal -- most notably haunted houses. He's also the founder of the American Ghost Society, a network of ghost hunters who collect stories of sightings and hauntings, then use investigative techniques and equipment to track down evidence of the supernatural.

Here he explains how you can find the right ghost buster to rid your old house of its specters and spirits.

In my line of work, I often deal with people who have (or claim to have) ghosts in their houses. Inevitably, most of them ask me what they should do about it. Should they move out? Should they talk to the specters, or just ignore them?

But the most common question I get is whether or not they should contact a ghost hunter to come to their houses and investigate.

First let me say that over the years I have been involved in ghost research, the vast majority of the cases I've investigated have had perfectly natural explanations. That is not to say that some haven't puzzled me, or left me feeling the house in question was indeed haunted. This Old House: Haunted houses

Even if you're house is not haunted, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that it is, thinking every bump and creak you hear is something ghostly. And it's not long before your family picks up on your fears, and begins hearing the "unexplainable" sounds and seeing the resident "ghost." This Old House: Fix creaky stairs

As witness to a series of what could be considered ghostly events, you must first determine whether or not those events are natural or supernatural. In order to do this, try to relax and be a good observer. Even if you're scared by what you've seen or heard, it's important that you first give the occurrences some rational thought. Are those "phantom footsteps" you heard simply the house settling, or the floorboards creaking? Was that "cold chill" merely a draft? Was that "ghost" you saw out of the corner of your eye nothing more than a trick of the light? This Old House: Detecting drafts

Who you gonna call?
Once you've ruled out natural causes, you have a choice of what to do next. You can either learn to live with the novelty of a ghost in your house, or get in touch with a legitimate ghost researcher to help you understand what's going on. This is not as easy as it sounds, as there are hundreds of them out there, with a varying degree of credibility. To get you started, here is some information that will help you choose the right one for the job.

Check out the investigator's Web sites and use them to determine whether or not they are the kind of people you would be comfortable having in your home. Remember, that site is their method of advertising. If it's questionable, the ghost hunters are likely to be as well. After all, anyone can launch a Web site, but the quality of the material on it speaks volumes about who's behind it.

Avoid ghost hunters who dabble in magic, the occult, or offer "magical cleansings" of homes. None of these things should be part of a legitimate investigation. If there is any mention of them on the Web site, move on.

Legitimate ghost hunters will not charge for their services. If you are asked to pay for an investigation, look for something else. Only services that produce concrete, tangible results are worthy of payment, and paranormal research is too unpredictable for that. That said, if the ghost researcher is expected to travel (especially overnight) to reach your home, you should offer reimbursement for his or her expenses.

Check qualifications
Once you've found an investigator you're comfortable with, ask him how long he's been involved in paranormal research, and about his past investigations -- especially those involving private residences. If he claims to be some sort of "doctor," ask what kind of doctor he is. Find out if he's affiliated with a research group or a national organization, such as the American Ghost Society. Being affiliated with a group with a good reputation can help you make a better decision about allowing him into your home. You can also call the organization and request additional information.

The investigation
After ruling out natural explanations, the researcher might decide that an investigation of your house is warranted. Prepare to be invaded! Research teams can be made up of five to six individuals. And investigations can be very invasive. There will be photographs taken of the house, and hundreds of feet of video shot. They will ask you dozens of questions -- many of which will seem unconnected, and perhaps even embarrassing. They will ask you to describe the events that occurred, and your statement will be recorded. But bear with them. These questions have a purpose, and the investigators will be working to try to legitimize your story, and determine if the reported activity is real.

Here are some things that you should be aware of when it comes to legitimate paranormal investigations:

Investigators should arrive at your home with healthy skepticism and an open mind to all possibilities. Good ones remain non-committal until they've had a chance to gather all the evidence.

Make sure the investigators know how to use their equipment. If there is anything you don't understand, ask them to explain. If they can't, you may have a problem.

Reporters or other members of the media should never accompany investigators without your permission. The investigators are duty-bound to keep all aspects of your case confidential, unless they have your permission to disclose anything.

Make sure everyone who experienced anything unusual in your house is present on the night of the investigation. And don't let friends and relatives over who simply want to watch the proceedings. They can be distracting to you and the investigators.

It's important to remember that if you start feeling uncomfortable with what is going on at any point in the investigation, you have the absolute right to call it off. The investigators are guests in your home. They should be given the respect that such a title signifies, but they must respect your feelings and fears as well.

Proper ghost removal
If it turns out there are natural explanations for your haunting, ask the investigators to explain them in detail -- and don't be offended. You've asked them to give you an honest opinion, so you have to be prepared to accept it --whatever it is.

If natural explanations cannot be found, and it's determined that there is indeed a presence in your house, the investigators will likely suggest you get in touch with a family minister so he or she can come to the house and to pray for the soul of the spirit that is present. This is not an "exorcism," but simply an attempt to get the ghost to leave in peace.

If a willing minister is not available, the ghost hunter should be able to suggest another person capable of getting rid of ghosts -- either a professional medium, psychic, or someone who is sensitive to spirits. This person should be someone the ghost hunter has worked with before, or who was referred through a legitimate source.

If the medium detects that a spirit is present, he will try to convince it to move on. How effective is this? It's hard to say. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I often get calls from people asking for this service, but in my years in the paranormal field, I have found very few people trustworthy enough for this assignment. They are out there though, and your investigator should do all they can to get you in touch with them.

Let me assure you, though, that ghosts are not present to hurt anyone and in almost every case, a family can peacefully coincide with a spirit.

Obviously though, not everyone wants that and some even insist that the ghost itself would be better off passing on to wherever we go at the time of death. In this case, the ghost hunter should be proactive in helping you with your wishes.

El Salvador

2007-06-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

Church of Satan

2007-05-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

In Satanism, every Man and Woman is a star -- a breathing, physical manifestation of that which is divine. The same value that the Christian will attribute attribute to Christ (Christ comes from the Greek word, simply meaning, annointed), the Satanist attributes to all mankind. Therefore, Man is God. Hail Thyself!
(source)

Scientific Reasoning

2007-05-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

If scientific reasoning were limited to the logical processes of arithmetic, we should not get very far in our understanding of the physical world. One might as well attempt to grasp the game of poker entirely by the use of the mathematics of probability.
--Vannevar Bush

Ghost World

2007-04-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

There is a graveyard next door. There are no markers, headstones or external signs of any kind. Hidden beneath the manufactured strips of lawn there is a massive, unmarked grave site. Only I know its there.

You may wonder how this secret is only known to me, unless of course you've visited this site before. In that case, you know a little about my history and are aware that my visual perception is altered, enabling me to see the spirit world around us.

Let me pause on that for a moment.

Over the years, I have come to rely on certain phrases that I feel most effectively define various concepts in the field of supernatural and paranormal research. However, these shorthand descriptions most often need their own definition to fully understand what they are making reference to. "The spirit world around us" is something I say all the time, in fact I cannot stress enough that the world as you know it and the Land of the Dead co-exist in the same time and place.

The best example I can think of is a common phenomenon. Just about every community on every size and population scale has witnessed a tragic fire of some sort, in which the blaze left little more than scorch marks as evidence of what had been there before. In my hometown, there was a single building -- among a row of merchant properties -- that burnt to the ground sometime in the late 70s before I was born. The concrete structure of the surrounding buildings saved them from the flames, so there was just a single burnt out space in between. What had once been a family grocery (and, upstairs, home to the owners and their children) was just a bunch of black rubble and dirt, even years after the fact.

Nobody wanted to develop the lot into a new storefront, renovate the debris into a parking lot, openly discuss the incident or even gaze upon the site. There were strong emotions connected to the event, and everyone seemed content to simply ignore the subject altogether. There are 5 stages of grief, but everybody seems to get stuck on the first one: denial. For me, it wasn't that easy.

In fact it wasn't possible. Although I hadn't even been born when the tragedy struck, nobody ever had to explain what happened. To my eyes, the building was still visible, as it had been all along and remains to this day. The properties of this ghost building differ from those surrounding it, but its there. The grocer family still lives there, too.

As best as I can understand it, every molecule leaves a non-physical imprint in its absence. This imprint is like a fossil of sorts, except its like invisible, but only to the untrained human eye. All of these various imprints of the past create, in essence, a ghost world right here within our physical reality.

NEXT: The Backyard Butcher

Hello?

2007-03-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Remember earlier today when I said I'd be back with more later tonite and you didn't believe me? Take that, bitches!

Eh, who am I talking to? My 6th grade English teacher always said that in order to connect with the reader, you have to write directly to the audience (although not necessarily address them -- or call them bitches, for that matter), so I have to imagine someone is reading this.

In truth, I have no way of knowing if that's a fact. I'm pretty good with spells and potions and such, but none of that voodoo works on the Internet. I've tried. Being a rather non-technical person, I have no way of knowing who in the world wide web might be hitting this page, or dialing my url or whatever the appropriate term might be.

If you're out there, I just figured out how to allow comments.

Beep! Leave a message.

Consistently Inconsistent

2007-03-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

WTF -- The end of March already?

Remember, in my last post, when I said "more later" ...? Turns out later meant two months.

After yet another year on the run, I have finally settled down and am living with my undead brother in suburbia. This place is more frightening than than a canibal's kitchen, although much cleaner and well-groomed -- on the surface, anyway. They don't advertise violence here, its where they hide the bodies.

I have begun to suspect or neighbor is a serial-killer, but that could just be the paranoia setting in. My only evidence of foul play is an over-abundance of ghastly, dismembered ghosts who walk about the backyard. Based on prior experience, such testimony does little to enlighten local authorities.

Now I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. This time when I say "more later," I mean later tonite when I return.

Let's see if my consistently inconsistent ways prove me a liar...

Ringing in the New Year

2007-01-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Been awhile since I've had the time to actually sit down, pause, and think in complete sentences. Most of last year was spent traveling in parts of the United States where people, and I quote, "ain't never been on that Internet thing."

"Well," I would often ask, "does anyone you know have a computer?"

Although I'm much more versed in reading occult signs, in attempting to interpret human response to stimuli (such as a direct, simple question), when someone blinks three times or more but doens't say anything, they're searching their mental data base and coming up blank.

I had the Devil chasing my tail last year, and I don't mean that in a metaphoric kind of way. Turns out Satan takes holding a grudge to a whole new level. Through a combination of time and circumstance, a lifetime of wandering the spiritual world intertwined with mortal reality led me to an encounter with a lost soul Mainyu* claimed as his own.

In ancient Persian (Iran) religion and books of Zoroastrianism, Angra Mainyu is the god of darkness, the eternal destroyer of good

In helping the lost soul to escape from Hell, my name was officially removed from Lucifer's Christmas card list and transferred to his ever-growing catalogue of people to kill in a slow, painful manner.

Took me awhile to slide off his radar but thankfully he has other concerns currently in focus. As luck or good fortune would have it, Old Scratch has a rather fickle attention span and is often distracted by his urges. While it's virtually impossible to outwit the Prince of Darkness, there is a good chance he'll lose interest -- provided you can avoid being killed by his minions in the meantime.

Such is the case with yours truly and the escaped soul. I am currently working on my field notes from this supernatural misadventure in order to provide a detailed account here. "Oh, by the way, I've been to hell and back" just doesn't quite cover it. Its a good summation though.

Anyway, when I did find a computer cafe in the middle of that literal hell storm, my loose change did not afford the time to post anything here.

Therefore, this blog went blank in 2006. You'll have to cut me some slack, self-preservation was a matter of priority.

But now I'm back. You've probably figured that out by now. I promise to fill you in on the rest as we go.

For now, I thought it would be good to kick off the New Year with some link lust to help get back in the swing of things, then cap off this first month with a rambling post to officially announce my return.

Done and done.

More soon...

Hollywood Legend

2007-01-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Magic & Ritual in Satanism
A handy online reference guide by Vexen Crabtree

Was Jane Mansfield killed by s satanic curse?
Rumore had it at Hollywood Unmasked ... even Snopes acknowledges this rumor, without actually dismissing it

Scary Christian People

2007-01-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Opus Dei & counter Liberation theolgy

The Skeptical Inquirer

2007-01-19T05:37:00.000-08:00

Skeptical Inquirer magazine

Famous Ghosts

2007-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD

Holiday

2007-01-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Witchvox | Popular Pagan Holidays

Jailbait

2007-01-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment

Philip G. Zimbardo, a psychology professor at Stanford University, conducted an experiment on obedience in 1971.

He recruited 24 men to portray inmates and guards in a prison setting. Zimbardo planned to study the men for two weeks, but dangerous behavior among them prompted him to stop the experiment after six days.

prisonexp.org

Mystery Inc.

2007-01-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

World-Mysteries.com | Explore lost civilizations, ancient ruins, sacred writings, unexplained artifacts & scientific mysteries.

Haunted House Locator

2007-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

Real Haunts | "Documented" Haunted Houses across the U.S.

To find haunted houses in your area, use the navigation on this site to search state by state.

FAQ

2005-12-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

What are you, some kind of freak?
A: If by freak you mean an eccentric or nonconformist person, then yes.

The very nature of this site is mystical, or supernatural and paranormal phenomenon. Belief or disbelief has no influence on the truth of these claims; they are real or perceived as such, to the extent that they are in fact “real” in the mind of the individual.

Generally, something “supernatural” is said to exist outside the natural world (healing touch, water to wine, walking on water Jesus stuff), while “paranormal” attributes are those beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation (unclassified species or entity).

A supernatural event may take place within our natural world and may be seen as an exercise of divine power. These are non contingent circumstances outside our known systematic construct of “nature” - the forces and processes that produce and control all phenomena of the material world. In effect, the laws of nature as we know them do not apply, hence, "super" natural. Possessing non material qualities means the supernatural comprises forces and phenomena that cannot be perceived by natural (material) or empirical senses (means of observation or experiment), and whose understanding may be said to lie with religious, magical, or otherwise mysterious explanation —yet remains firmly outside of the current realm of science.

Though often used interchangeably with the term paranormal, “para” attributes are used to describe anomalous phenomenon, observed occurrence for which there is no suitable explanation in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge. Unlike the supernatural, which lies beyond our realm yet has some affect (influence) upon it, paranormal or preternatural differ from the standard course of nature, but exist within it.

What are paranormal/preternatural abilities? Are you some kind of mutant, or do you claim to possess a gift from God?
A:I am no more evolved (biologically altered) than you are, at least not to my knowledge, and no.

To keep things somewhat simple, let’s limit these abilities (both prefixes meaning “outside or beyond”) to extra sensory perception, afferent states that are the effect of some stimulus other than the 5 senses. These would be considered paranormal, or more specifically preternatural - typically limited to an adjective for describing mental and/or physical abilities which appear to exceed possible bounds.

These terms are slippery because their definitions are not intended to be explicit.

My own reversionary approach classifies someone with abilities “beyond the 5 senses” as a “Paranorm.” It’s a singular predicate of my own creation.

A paranorm is classified by at least one of three main characteristics:
1) Mental phenomena, unusual mental states or abilities. 2) Physical phenomena, unusual physical occurrences controlled by a consciousness, and/or 3) Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) & near-death experiences (NDEs)

Examples:
Psychokinesis (PK) – mind movement

Clairvoyance - perception of events in other places & other times (precognition, retrocognition, second sight, lucid dreaming)

Psychometry - the ability or art of divining information about people or events associated with an object solely by touching or being near to it.

Aura Reading - perception of aspects of others not perceivable by most people

Telepathy - ability to sense communications from, and communicate with, people far away, beyond the grave (medium-hood and séancing, spirit walking), or in other dimensions (astral projection)

There are many other names for such powers of perception, from different cultures and different eras. The general term "psi phenomena" (or "psychic phenomena") covers all of these categories.

Additionally, many of the examples I’ve listed can be further broken down into more specific abilities, such as the term “medium,” as indicated above, to refer to individuals who have the ability to receive or channel messages from spirits, ghosts, or other discorporate entities. This would indicate the individual does not possess other skills associated with ESP.

After spending 5 years under the observations of a wide variety of medical professionals seeking to “cure” my “mental disorder,” I’m more than aware of the psychological implications ESP claims may indicate. Whatever this mystical state may be, it is one that has greater potential as an unlocked mental ability. Such a diagnosis is far less probable, though not impossible, likely but uncertain; plausible. It is my hope to present the truth I know firsthand in the most scientific, straightforward and unspectacular way.

Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or to gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. It is the branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and personality traits (also called psychometry)

What are your powers?
A: I’m not a superhero.

As mentioned in my history, my first paranormal observation occurred when I was a child. An exchange with a maleficent entity left my vision permanently altered, and I perceive the spirit world as it exists around us, a non material world layered within ours.

Eventual acceptance of (or complete surrender to) this newly unlocked mental ability allowed me to further explore ESP and develop my telepathic skills.

I was later part of a scientific research team simply called PSI. At the PSI lab, we developed some of the most advanced technologies the field has ever produced. Due to long established skepticism and severely limited credentials, is about as revolutionary as the crossbow was to the bow & arrow market; same basic mechanics, better operation, overall design, and improved functionality.

Can anyone develop ESP?
A: Perhaps. It stands to reason that some may be born with these abilities, while others may not, just as some of us are born deaf or blind. Check out this random online ESP test and form your own opinion:
New Age Directory | About.com

The most outstandingly common physic ability is threat perception. Ever feel someone watching you didn’t know was there? If so, did you wonder how it was possible to FEEL them LOOK at you? I’ve often wondered if “extra sensory” perception is a bit of a misnomer. For it’s the hair on the back of your neck that stands on end, goose bumps running down your forearm, or some vague “vibe” permeating through our bodies that alert us to the presence of others in these situations. Likewise, those barely audible whispers in our ear, images that flash behind our eyes, etc. – these reactions create a sense of physical stimulation connected with ESP. Perhaps these are not extra sensory perceptions, but an advanced system of sensory information.

POLTERGIEST

2005-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

PSI Case Files | The poltergiest

My previous website detailed the PSI case files. Despite confidentiality and shredding of records that would verify any of the information I was presenting, the site was hacked.

Still, the links below indicate that some of our research (with credit to independent work of others where due) has become fairly widespread theory in the field of parapsychology:

Poltergeist activity tends to occur around a single person called an agent or a focus. Focuses are often, but not limited to, pubescent children. Almost seventy years of research by the Rhine Research Center (Raleigh-Durham, NC USA) has led to the hypothesis among parapsychologists that the "poltergeist effect" is a form of psychokinesis generated by a living human mind (that of the agent). According to researchers at the Rhine Center, the "poltergeist effect" is the outward manifestation of psychological trauma.

Our first mission was to respond to reports of a poltergiest. A small boy with an abuse father, neither of them made it out alive. It's too difficult, even now years later, to go into detail into the actual events...

My own childhood experiences with the misunderstanding that swirls about the topic of extra sensory perception have had a lasting effect to this day.

//next| Frauds, Fakes & False Alarms

PARANORMAL PAGE

2005-10-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ghosts.org | Ghosts, Hauntings & Other Strange Phenomena

CenterForParanormal.org | WeirdNY

A.R.E. | Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc.

PSI

2005-10-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Paranormal & Supernatural Investigation
After everyone thought I was crazy, including me, I returned to my senses and became part of an elite team of researchers seeking to study and explore accounts of supernatural elements of the world around us. That, or my mental state completely melted down to the point where I’ve been living in a state of delusion for the past decade, and this is nothing more than an exercise is fiction.

I suppose it doesn’t help my case to report that the existence of the PSI group has seen been purged from all official record. Turned out the “old rich white guy” providing our funding was in fact a US senator with deep pockets for all sorts of hypothetical scientific probabilities. Although only the group’s founder knew at the time, we all acted with hyper secrecy, even using a pseudonym to identify ourselves within the team. This is when “Paul Bizarre” was born. All of 19 at the time, I thought it was catchy. Still do, actually.

By the time I was 21, the group had broken up in a violent storm of discontent, its members scattered across the globe.

COMMUNICATION

2005-10-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Without Words

It is quite possible to send and receive thoughts between individuals through an open exchange, one that is concentrated with clear, concise intent. These signals are usually disjointed at best, unless the participants have experience with mental projection and, especially important, a close personal relationship with the receiver. Occasionally, random, unintentional thoughts may get picked up here and there, but again these are disjointed and unclear – for me anyway – most often manifesting as visual presentations that flash quickly in the mind’s eye. Interpreting the symbolism of these images is similar to those that occur in dream state, except the source of the signal isn’t internal.

That is to say, when we dream, our mind sends itself a message, which we attempt to decipher once we’re awake. While many universal symbols and their most generic psychological and mystical meanings have been identified throughout history, dream states are a unique experience that varies depending upon the individual, their location, religious affiliation, and many other factors. As we discover hidden meanings buried within our intrinsic communication, it must be realized that the translation of any particular image is likely to have a different meaning outside of that internal, isolated environment.

When picking up stray signals from others, we’re in a position to interpret their inner most thoughts and then attempt to visualize them for ourselves. Talk about mixed messages. Unless someone is very focused on a singular thought, it’s very difficult to invade their mind without some level of awareness on their part. A defensive reaction is as inherent as pulling your hand away from an open flame, if the flame were invisible and inside your head.

Sending a message to an unknowing or unwanted receiver is far more intrusive, such actions are irresponsible, unethical, and can result in severe trauma. On the plus side, a psi-scream is a very effective defense mechanism, although one that carries a potential to render the attacker permanently insane.

Perhaps the most outstandingly common physic ability is threat perception. Ever feel someone watching you didn’t know was there? If so, did you wonder how it was possible to FEEL them LOOK at you?

Some suspect animals have the ability to sense impending disaster, aside from physical vibration of the ground, changes in air temperature, etcetera, although part of this ability may be attributed to super-sensitivity/hyper developed senses. Read more @ PBS.org

KNOWLEDGE

2005-10-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Academy of Paranormal Research

It is often an inferred perception that validates any particular philosophy over another. While a vast majority subscribes to theories relating some sort of higher power in the universe, most identify these as religious beliefs rather than mysticism. God simply has a better brand.

Miracles are widely accepted phenomena, unlike magic or witchcraft. By definition, they are essentially the same: An event or occurrence that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of G-d

The very laws of nature themselves are subject of philosophical debate. The existence of God is a theory divided into many formulas, all of which attribute the existence of the universe to some sense of higher power beyond our own perceptual or intellectual apprehension. Faith not only acknowledges the supernatural, it has solidified this concept into the human conscious.

Paranormal: That which is not understandable in terms of known scientific laws and phenomena

Extrasensory Perception (ESP): Seemingly outside the ordinary sensory channels

As we examine reports of the supernatural, scientific tools often fail to bring relevant data into analysis. Without question, however, this approach does not dispute the limitation of knowledge. Recognizing our ignorance upon new discovery allows reformulation of scientific theories and forces old laws to be discarded. Science, while professing ultimate knowledge, admits the inability to classify or even recognize anything that may fall outside its known boundaries.

Therefore, different tools must be utilized to properly categorize supernatural elements.

Welcome, students. This is pi-1: Principles of Paranormal Investigation

VAMPCULT

2004-02-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Modern Vampire Fantasy

My older brother was fascinated by vampire folklore. As with sightings of ghosts, the vampire mythos is a well documented phenomenon. Our research into beings that live off the blood of other creatures was, to everyone else anyway, a natural teen cult obsession, which helped reintroduce my naturalized personality outside hospital walls. No longer under the cloud of the drugs, I was able to navigate through the mental health system – a feat I challenge anyone who thinks they’re “sane” to manage without a first diagnosis.

Secretly goth, we began to explore the occult world around us. From very early on, we developed a simple principle that applied to all the material we gathered for study; what we think we know only exists within a bubble of all that we don’t know.

Naturally, as anyone looking beyond the fictionalized modern version of Dracula, we began to learn the subtle changes to the lore, and soon began to categorize behavior and so-called vampire attributes. Vlad the impailer? Kids stuff, thousands of years after demonic beings freely roamed the earth.

Many others throughout history have been associated with vampires, and of course there is the “vampire disease” porphyria - but these are tales of those born human becoming infected with demon blood. Like, where do vampires come from? Lillith. Adam’s first wife and one of the oddly metaphysically supernatural passages of Hebrew legend seems to imply that humans co-existed with demons in a “time before time” so to speak, the beginning of human kind (see: NOTES)

• Even the Bible fails to give an accurate timeline, and it really doesn’t even try. In ancient times, formal calendars changed frequently according to rule.

Though not a common entry in today’s revised editions of biblical lore, Lillith and her demons had some kind of gang rape scene with her ex and his new sweetie, Eve, both spawning demons as a result. Demon babies! Spooky.

• At the risk of offending those of religious conviction, I should mention that historic text is written in a dead language, that Hebrew characters have evolved over an eon, and with such passage of time and even the most subtle shifts in translation dramatically changes the original meaning. Mysticism is widely accepted in these times, yet by today’s standards a burning bush is just a burning bush.

It would stand to reason that if “all peoples” come from “God’s” alpha-couple, then somewhere at some time there must exist an “unnatural” generation of hybrids bubbling with supernatural dark energy from the earliest stages of the universe as we know it. Without any significant data to back up with hypothesis, my brother and I began our own field research, leaving ink bound accounts behind us and living the life firsthand. Quickly sucked into “VampCult” (our clever little term for today’s modern fictionalized version of vampire lore), my older bro became a blood drinking creature of the night. In a kind of way.

VampCult embraces romantic aspects of the mythos and live according to standard, modern and fictional “Dracula rules” – avoiding sunlight, garlic, holy water, steaks through the heart, etc., with some intense focus on blood as part of sexual gratification. These groups can be very convincing and my brother thought becoming a vampire would make a good experiment, and being more mature, there are other aspects within the set of circumstances that I’d rather not discuss in conjunction with him. Nobody wants to think of their sibling as a sex slave. I got him away from the faux house of vampires ASAP.

All is well, except his occasional lust for warm blood. That’s sort of meant as a joke. He maintains an identity within the community, and I would often tag along back in the days before PSI.

I’ve found that most vamps could figure out my deal right away, the brightly beaming witch standing beside the dude wearing glasses and fangs. When asked, I’d generally deny or significantly downplay my connection with the spirit world. Some might argue that true witchcraft taps into the same forces as E.S.P., but I strongly disagree. To the best that I can describe, my enhanced senses are natural, innate abilities; I’m just able to perform them much better than most. The Dark Arts work to shift the very fabric of nature – reality – itself. This is paranormal versus supernatural.

If, for the sake of argument, vampires do exist, would it be wise to call attention to themselves?

Wouldn’t it make much more sense to allow folklore and modern movie mythology create a false identity for the public? What are those rules again – sunlight, mirrors, fire breath?

Only the most advanced underground vampire societies are founded on accurate historical information, but again, it could be a very well played fantasy, this “living vamp” is a human who simply acts as a vampire. Accounting for potential E.S.P. or knowledge of witchcraft, these modern ghouls could be your neighbor or close relative.

A real blood sucking demon beast? Well, that’s another story...

p.s. -- sorry I haven't been able to follow up on my last entry for so long, I had a little run in with a tempermental gang of goblins that were setting fires in Wichita, Kansas. I was able to privde evidence that cleared arson charges against a 14-year old boy and two of his friends.

//SALEM (coming soon)

//WICCA (coming soon)

NOTES

2004-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

History of the Vampire Mythos
The following represents a composite of notes on the topic of vampirism, unable to cite all sources based on various conditions of notes when transcribed.

THE BLOOD
Interesting Characters & History

Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers, vampire historian (1880-1948, last book published in 1950)

Dom Augustin Calmet, a French Roman Catholic biblical scholar and the most famous vampirologist of the early eighteenth century.

Abraham Van Helsing, a philosopher, metaphysician, and advanced scientist that appeared in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897)

Lilith, the Spirit of Darkness. Old Hebrew legend, appears in the bible [Adam’s first wife, rejected him over battle of sexual dominance]

“After Adam and Eve (his second wife) were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Lilith and her cohorts, all incubus/succubus [demon], attacked them, thus causing Adam to father many demons and Eve to mother still more. Out of this legend, Lilith came to be regarded in Hebrew lore as the mother of evil, and men were warned against sleeping in a house alone least Lilith overtake them.”

--Encyclopedia of the Undead

________________________________________
ORIGINS: Ancient Persia & Babylon

The vampires we are familiar with today, although mutated by fiction and film, are largely based on Eastern European myths. The vampire myths of Europe originated in the Far East, and were transported from places like China, Tibet and India with the trade caravans along the silk route to the Mediterranean. Here they spread out along the Black Sea coast to Greece, the Balkans and of course the Carpathian Mountains, including Hungary and Transylvania.

Vampire stories may go back many centuries [perhaps the beginning of mankind], but their modern form arose after an outbreak of vampire attacks in East Prussia in 1721 and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1725-1734 in central Europe.

• Western scholars seriously considered the existence of vampires for the first time rather than just brushing them off as superstition. Two famous cases involved Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold Paole. Plogojowitz died at the age of 62, but came back a couple of times after his death asking his son for food. When the son refused, he was found dead the next day. Soon Plogojowitz returned and attacked some neighbors who died from loss of blood. In the other famous case Arnold Paole, an ex-soldier turned farmer who had been attacked by a vampire years before, died while haying. After his death people began to die and it was believed by everyone that Paole had returned to prey on the neighbors.

• There are only three species of vampire bats in the entire world, all of which occur in Central and South America. During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors first came into contact with them and recognized the similarity between the feeding habits of the bats and those of their mythical vampires.

• Countess Elizabeth (Erzebet) Bathory – Used to bathe in the blood of young girls (arrested on December 26, 1620) Most of her adult life was spent in the Csejthe Castle. Erzsebet married Count Ferenc Nadasdy. She assumed the duties of managing the Nadasdy estate. Her level of cruelty to servants was legendary. She did not just punish infringements to her rules, but found excuses to inflict punishments. She delighted in the torture and death of her victims. The accusations that she bathed in the blood of the girls and had also bitten into their flesh [cannibal?] attained her title of vampire.

• Dracula ruled as Prince of Wallachia on three separate occasions. He first claimed the throne with Turkish support in 1448. On this occasion he ruled for only two months (November-October) before being driven out by a Danesti claimant supported by Hungary. Dracula dwelt in exile for several years before returning to Wallachia to kill the Danesti prince, Vladislav II, and reclaim the Wallachian throne with Hungarian support. Dracula's second regal period stretched from 1456 to 1462. It was during this time that Dracula carried out his most famous military exploits against the Turks and also committed his most gruesome atrocities. In 1462 Dracula fled to Transylvania to seek the aid of the King of Hungary when a Turkish army overwhelmed Wallachia. Instead of receiving the assistance he expected the Hungarian king imprisoned Dracula. He remained a prisoner of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary for several years. For most of the period of Dracula's incarceration his brother, Radu the Handsome, ruled Wallachia as a puppet of the Ottoman sultan. When Radu died (ca. 1474-1475) the sultan appointed Basarab the Old, a member of the Danesti clan, as prince. Eventually, Dracula regained the favor and support of the Hungarian king. In 1476 he once again invaded Wallachia. His small force consisted of a few loyal Wallachians; a contingent of Moldavians sent by his cousin Prince Stephen the Great of Moldavia, and a contingent of Transylvanians under their prince, Stephen Bathory. The allies succeeded in driving Basarab out of the country and placing Dracula on the throne (November 1476). However, after Dracula was once again in control, Stephen Bathory returned to Transylvania taking most of Dracula's army with him. The Turks soon counterattacked with overwhelming force. Dracula was killed fighting the Turks near Bucharest in December of 1476. His head was sent to Constantinople where the Sultan had it displayed on a stake to prove that the terrible Impala was really dead.

• Gypsies arrive in Romania a short time before Vlad Dracula is born (1431) archaeological evidence points to constant settlement in Transylvania from at least the Stone Age. Gypsies originated as nomadic tribes in northern India, but got their name from the early belief that they came from Egypt. By 1000 AD they started spreading westward and settled in Turkey for a time, incorporating many Turkish words into their Romany language. By the 14th century they were all through the Balkans and within two more centuries had spread all across Europe.

• In China during the 6th century BC, traces of the "Living Dead", or revenants as they are known, were also found. More legends continued throughout the entire world, including India [The most famous Indian vampire is Kali who had fangs, wore a garland of corpses or skulls and had four arms. Her temples were near the cremation grounds. She and the goddess Durga battled the demon Raktabija who could reproduce himself from each drop of blood spilled. Kali drank all his blood so none was spilled, thereby winning the battle and killing Raktabija.], Malaysia, Polynesia and the lands of the Aztecs and Eskimos. According to the Aztecs, the offering of a young victim’s blood to the Gods ensured the fertilization of the earth. But truly, the vampire proper originates from European civilization...ancient Greece to begin with.

There were numerous bloodthirsty Goddesses in both Roman and Greek mythology, known as Lamiae, Empusae and Striges. These names eventually evolved into the general terms for Witches, Demons, and Vampires. But these Vampires, though they do drink blood, were only Goddesses...not "living Dead", but disembodied divinities capable of taking on human appearances so that they might seduce their victims.

The history of the vampire begins in ancient Persia, where a vase was discovered depicting a man struggling with a huge creature which is trying to suck his blood. Then, in Babylonian myth a deity known for drinking the blood of babies, Lilitu or "Lilith", was discovered. She was reputedly the first wife of Adam according to old Hebrew texts removed from the Old Testament, and left her husband due to his sexual ineptitude, becoming the Queen of Demons and Evil spirits.

Lilith was described as Adam's first wife. They had a disagreement over who would be in the dominant position in sexual intercourse. When Adam insisted on being on top, Lilith used her magical knowledge to fly away to the Red Sea, an abode of demons. She took many lovers and begat Lilum. There she met three angels sent by God -Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof- with whom she worked out an agreement. She claimed vampiric powers over babies, but agreed to stay away from any babies protected by an amulet that bore the name of the three angels.

The oldest known document with a reference to a vampire like being is a @2400 BCE tablet known as "The Sumerian King List", a very boring list of all the kings of Sumer, their paternal lineage, and the years of their rule. One entry is for the famous King Gilgamesh. It says that Gilgamesh's father was a Lillu. In Sumerian myth, there were a number of beings who, like the incubi and succubi [q.v. 2.03], come to sleeping individuals to mate with them. Lillu is an incubus (male). One of the succubi was Lilake/Lilitu, whom some claim is a forerunner of Lilith.

But not even Sumer can be definitively credited as coming up with the first vampire. Why? Because Sumer is also the first civilization to develop cuneiform, a form of writing which uses word sounds rather than pictures. Consequently, there are no written histories prior to Sumer.

It is said that to destroy a vampire, a stake was driven through the body followed by decapitation and placing garlic in the mouth. By the 19th century people were shooting a bullet through the coffin. For resistant cases, the body was dismembered and the pieces burned, mixed with water, and given to family members as a cure.

________________________________________

Sightings of the Chupacabra [from Spanish "chupar" (to suck) + "cabra" (goat)] gained worldwide attention in the mid-1990s, but chupacabras have been around since the 1960s. After some 40 years, however, no one has yet photographed or caught a chupacabra, live or dead.

Cryptozoologists (scientists who study animals which may or may not be real) have placed the chupacabra right up there with Bigfoot and Loch Nessie but have found no evidence to confirm or deny its existence. Locals think the chupacabra is some sort of genetically-engineered bat or other experimental animal which got loose. Skeptics blame something more normal, such as dogs, coyotes, wolves, or pumas. But one thing is certain. There are hundreds of photos of livestock carcasses that have been drained of blood with no bodily damage other than two puncture wounds in their necks.

________________________________________

Stories of men turning into beasts go back to antiquity. In parts of ancient Greece, werewolf myths, stemming from prehistoric times (based on new evidence), became linked with the Olympian religion. In Arcadia, a region plagued by wolves, there was a cult of the Wolf-Zeus. Mt. Lycaeus was the scene of a yearly gathering at which the priests were said to prepare a sacrificial feast that included meat mixed with human parts. According to legend, whoever tasted it became a wolf and could not turn into a man unless he abstained from human flesh for nine years.

MONSTROUS

2004-02-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Monstrous.com | Famous ghosts & ghouls

TRUTH

2003-12-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

Truth is something each of us can know only for ourselves. What do you know, and what are you unwilling to accept as truth? Why should you believe me? I give you only my word of honor as reason to do so, yet remember; I have nothing to gain by recounting a lie. If you think I’m planning to get rich by telling my tales from beyond the grave, you are welcome to discover they’re not told for a price.

What follows is a frighteningly real account of my supernatural adventures.

HISTORY

2003-12-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hello, I’m
Paul Bizarre

For the last decade, my life has been something of a wandering experience. Before that, I was your average high school student who believed in ghosts. Well, no.. ‘believe’ isn’t quite the right word, because it allows for the possibility of disbelief, so let me clarify. From childhood, I knew for a fact that not only do ghosts exist, but that the Land of the Dead is nothing more than the spirit world around us.

Allow me to explain.

Usually, the Land of the Living – what you and I know as conscious reality – is limited to the physical aspects of the world as we know them by physical sensation, touch, taste, etc. Most are blind to the metaphysical world surrounding that reality, which is why it's easy to dismiss and nearly impossible to "prove" by way of tangible physical evidence. While not a great example, I often compare the Land of the Living/Dead as the difference between own solar system and the vast universe around us. Much as past generations were oblivious to the galaxy far beyond our own Milky Way, the general population is completely unaware of the overlapping supernatural world in which the physical one exists.

A spirit is a spirit. With the obvious exception of form, there is no difference between living and dead. When our bodies fade, the spirit continues to live on, right here on planet Earth, just on a slightly different frequency. However, this reality is not always limited by perception, due to the lack of physical senses. That is not to say the spirit world is void of emotion or sensation. Ghosts are aware of their surroundings and state of being, understand they’ve made a transition, and are therefore far more capable of comprehending the two worlds coexist. Not all do, of course, because of the same conditioned response to life and death that prevented them from experiencing this new world when they were “alive.” Many spirits simply exist in a dream state, well knowing it is not the reality they once knew yet incapable of embracing their new life as a ghost.

RELIGIOUS PEEPS, PLEASE NOTE: While completely true, in no way does this contradict any concept of the “afterlife” of heaven, but rather fills a gap in between. To simplify because I get excited when detailing my knowledge of these things, in addition to being unable to string two sentences together unless I’m completely sleep deprived, thus making my 160WPM rambling even less coherent, here’s a quick historical culture lesson:

Many African societies divide humans into three categories:
1. Those still alive on Earth.
2. Sasha: The living dead. Those recently departed whose time on Earth overlapped with people still alive. You are not wholly dead, for you are still alive in the memories of the living.
3. Zamani: When the last person to have known you dies, you enter into Zamani, which is to become completely dead. A generalized ancestor. No one still alive ever knew you. (ps-Being a celebrity doesn’t count, your physical presence must interact with those who keep you in Sasha state.

Once the spirit reaches Zamani, it no longer exists on Earth.

How do I know all this? The part about Zamani, google search. The rest? It’s a gift.

On my 7th birthday, my grandfather gave me a horse named Candy. She had a gorgeous main twice the size of any I’d seen, with the softest, most luxurious tawny hair I’ve ever looked upon to this day. Candy was, for all intents and purposes, a life-size My Pretty Pony, except with more hair. Her body was a slick of soft chocolate brown, which ended in a deep cinnamon tail. Candy looked sweet enough to eat, or at least consider getting close enough for a taste-testing lick.
* No, I never did. I was 7; I knew what hair tasted like. This came after my older brother chopped off his bangs and suggested we eat them to hide any evidence of his crime, obvious by the misshapen wedge hanging down the middle of his forehead. While it could not be denied his coiffure was fucked up, our theory was that without tangible proof he’d done it himself, neither of us couldn’t get in trouble for playing with scissors. Not to mention, by the time I got close enough to pet Candy's nose for the very first time, it was quite clear licking it would not by yummy, melty, gooey, or chocolaty. Instead, I feared even touching her would rub her ghastly odor off onto my hand permanently. Girl smelled as bad as she looked good, but I loved her anyway, because it wasn’t her fault.

Dozens of horses had died in a fire when Candy’s previous owner decided to sabotage his failing ranch, an act which went wildly out of control and burnt every single inch of his property to ash. Candy was found alone, meandering around the remains of her former living quarters when authorities could safely access the scene. Even then, the area was so thick with smoke several officers mistakenly identified shapes in the massive gray cloud as charred victims still running in panic. When attempting to provide rescue assistance, the phantoms disappeared among dark swirls of carbon. It took several hours to determine there were no survivors aside from Candy, a single animal out of dozens residing at the ranch, and one that also happened to be completely unharmed by the blaze. Though it’s unclear as to how or where, the newly broken calf had escaped a gigantic swell of flame fueled with gas from a diesel tank behind the main house. Local yokel firefighters (G-d bless ‘em for trying) were kept at bay until the fire burned itself out over hundreds of acres of flat Ohio terrain.

Several aspects of the account fascinated me, as odd and unusual things always have. I was most curious about the shared illusion of burnt bodies seen within the smoke. Never shy about questioning authority of elders, I openly wondered (at age 7, mind you, not to brag about my non-conformist thought process or anything) how an optical perception could be shared among several people yet NOT be considered something real. Far as I knew, I could swear an elephant was in the room until blue in the face, but without another witness any large herbivorous mammal sitting on the couch was nothing more than my imagination. While the sightings could be attributed to journalistic adaptation, it was just as easy for anyone to admit those who where there at the time were likely to have little visibility with one another in a concentrated plume of smoke, and were most likely silent with the burden of rather grim duty.

Most never actually did such a thing, however obvious the thought resonated in complex facial expressions. I wanted to know and accept the truth, so I dismissed claims about powers of suggestion. Many conversations were forced to an uncomfortable end by showing newspaper clippings in which firefighters were quoted as saying they had only realized their so-called “shared illusion” afterwards when recounting this detail to others, not among each other while performing their search.

While such debates caused Grandma to scold him for relaying more frightful parts of the story, Pa was fully aware knowledge of truth comes with time. Not wanting me to hear a gruesome or disrespectful recount, Grandpa made it very clear that Candy had survived an extremely traumatic, potentially lethal experience. Without ever being told so in a direct manner, I understood only gentle loving care could calm Candy’s timid, if not generally skittish behavior.

Living in a Midwest cornfield meant even the farthest neighboring counties knew every minute detail of Candy’s story. Often, at the bank or post office with my mother, old farmers felt the need to say my horse was “spooked,” a condition (similar to a vegetative state) that happens to animals that suffer major trauma. They often suggested I have her shot in the head.

Sure, they’d actually said she should be, “put down,” but I knew what that really meant.

I could never understand how this was supposed to be for Candy’s benefit, certain she’d much prefer standing in her usual corner at the fence while I groomed her mane when given the option over taking a bullet to the brain. Of course, I had to use a metal brush on a long stick when doing such grooming; she was far too smelly to stand beside long periods of time. Even so, each and every visit ended by a long held breath while hugging my arms around her neck, blissfully resting my head in her soft, silky hair. She calmly accepted my affection, although refused to wear a bit, didn’t move when prodded, shot off into high speed laps around the fence at the slightest noise. We had an understanding, and attempts to rider her did not seem logical or really even cross my mind.

The rotten stench that hovered around her, however, was becoming an obsessive desire of mine to eliminate. One I repeatedly failed to accomplish via large animal spa treatments that would’ve left a gorilla with dreadlocks smelling like bubble gum for a week. The more focused on the source of the odor I became, the more convinced it wasn’t coming from her ravishing coat but instead clung around her body like an invisible layer of stink. At 10, it finally dawned on me. The smoke from the fire was all around her, constantly, swirling with the smell of burning flesh.

Candy was haunted.

At that point, I became spooked. Visits to my grandparent’s declined over the next two years, time there was often spent thinking of ways to avoid going out to the barn when someone suggested it. Though it felt wrong, a giant fear built up, paralyzing me with inaction. Candy’s condition declined, and she began leaving her usual spot at the corner of the fence to hide behind her stall. Eventually, it became vital for her survival to face my fear of whatever ghosts may (or may not, I tried to reverse psychology myself) be haunting her.

Finally, I went out alone, as I’d done in the past, convinced my special brand of TLC was the only thing capable of saving her life. On previous visits, she’d always heard my footsteps on the grass as I made way around the shed between my grandparent’s house and the stalls. I was accustomed to a gloomy look in my direction as I came around the old outhouse and into her sight. Upon this approach, she was completely unaware of my presence.

Though Candy generally liked to stay in the same corner of her fenced in area that separated her from the other horses, she pranced around her stall like any other horse, moving side to side, walking in circles, four legged stuff like that. It was not an uncommon sight, this time as she moved her head side to side and plowed her feet around my immediate observation was how it appeared as if she were being pulled around and walked out in a circle by an invisible force.

It was a man, to be exact, without a doubt her former owner’s ghost. Though I could not actually see him in any detail, the shape of his outline played off the barn. Pulsing waves of emotion pounded through my body, suddenly the force pulling at Candy stopped. Turning in my direction, a glimmer of something caught my eye as a kick of dust erupted under hooves. Candy suddenly looked at me over the back wall from inside her stall. The door violently shut and latched behind her, with both of the entry barn doors quickly following with swift movement.

Instinct took over as I flung open the doors; inexperience led me to assume the ghost posed no threat to my being. A bag of meal from the rafter fell from above, busting the latch open. The overhead hatch swung around on its hinges, I turned with just enough time to register the momentum behind its impending impact with my face. This did not leave enough time to brace myself, and the next thing I remember I was flat on my back.

Certainly dead, I could not see or feel the slightest trickle of blood.

An undetermined amount of time passed. Someone called my name. Fearing confirmation of my own death, I closed my eyes to avoid helplessly watching them discover my body. My thoughts began to wonder if my physical body was lay somewhere behind me, popping my ghost out on impact. Though now obviously in a prone position, I was no farther from my original spot than before. Light flooded the stall. Grandpa grabbed my arm and shook my eyes open.

A little girl stood behind him, then faded into a shadow. Concentrated on her image, my dazed expression raised panic about a head injury. In a clean sweep of motion my body slid over shoulders, looking back at the stall growing smaller in the distance. Behind the door, the little girl pressed her body against the frame, watching me as I was carted off back to the house.

When faced with my reflection in the mirror soon after, no mark or indication of any kind registered blunt force trauma except for a small bump on the back of my head. Otherwise, I remained scar and blood free. A notable amount of color had faded from my already light eyes. The edges of an off-white cloud feathered around my peripheral vision.

In days following, the edges slowly shifted inwards and normal sight began to cloud, although I could focus sharply enough to deny any unusual impairment. Most of the time it was like wearing sunglasses, except the “lenses” shifted, creating shapes and moving forms. As time went on, the constant presence of shadow like figures in the cloud of my vision became more and more disturbing, and I went insane.

I wasn’t truly mentally disturbed, but thought I was supposed to be. These symptoms, as categorized by a medical professional or therapist, mirrored some of those associated with severe mental illness. The next few years are a little dopey.

At 15, the prescriptions continued but I was no longer medicated. Things become perfectly clear after my roommate in the hospital killed himself, his lifeless body hanging as I played chess with his ghost. I don’t remember who won, but we had a very interesting conversation. Still see him around sometimes.

My only means of escape from various diagnoses was to hide my truth, which meant going through the motions of being “cured” by a combination of therapy I bluffed my way through and drugs flushed down the toilet. It took some effort, but everyone wanted to buy the act, so they did. Officially sane again, everybody was happy, things were great. I turned 18 and left home, never to return.

//my adventures begin..

//childhood ghosts.. [coming soon]