I’ve anyways been quite enamored with monsters, my dad would come into the living room in the morning and tell me to turn off Beetlejuice (animated series) because he thought it would give me nightmares. To be fair, I did have nightmares (like most kids), but they had nothing to do with cartoons (like with many kids).
- On a side note; I tried unsuccessfully every Halloween for years to watch the whole live-action movie, but always got interrupted or came in late, only to realize how stupid the whole thing was once I got to see it in it’s full chronological glory. Stupid, but extremely entertaining.
I don’t know if kids today will ever appreciate monsters the same way. Sure we already had sympathetic monsters (like Angel and Edward Scissorfingers), and monster school series (all of which got canceled quickly, causing me to now be absolutely confused about how well Monster High is doing), but the level of monster sympathy really seems to be spiking. With this comes a dulling down of the monsters though; vampires lack fangs and sparkle in the sunlight, werewolves have a conscious in wolf form, and zombies fall in love.
Why do I care? Why does this matter? Well, monsters, in yesteryear were used in cautionary tales. Vampires and Sirens taught us to be ware of strangers no matter how sexy they were, and Werewolves taught us to beware of people we knew no matter how good they seemed in public. Stories like Frankenstein’s monster taught us there were consequences to playing god, while creatures like Ammut were intended to put the fear of god(s) in you. These tales had the benefit of being longer and more interesting than a simple comment to stay away from strangers is, and we know how well that worked out for Little Red Riding Hood (by the way, the original tale does not end happily).
So in a world where monsters are friendly, where do you get the sort of warnings that really make an impression?
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Halloween in the USA
I’ll openly admit I’ve had a bit of writer’s block this past month. It’s not that I haven’t had any ideas for posts, it’s that I’ve had trouble completing them enough to want to post them. However, with Halloween nearly upon us, and several non-US readers, this seems like a good opportunity to discuss Halloween in the USA.
Halloween (also known as All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Eve) is actually the first day of a three-day holiday called Hallowmas, (All Hallow’s Eve, All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day). However many households in the US only celebrate this first day, and almost entirely without celebrating the lives of dead family members. Death, is in fact, is petty much taboo in the US. You don’t talk about it, you don’t celebrate it.
(A three-day Christian holiday is also called a Triduum, by the way, in reference to the Holy Trinity.)
Now, don’t misunderstand; there are certain cultural and religious groups within US communities may go on to celebrate the second and even third day. Many Latino families will celebrate a version of All Saint’s Day called the Day of the Dead, in which offerings are made to dead loved ones. (In some parts of Central and South America, the Day of the Dead will be celebrated for several days, and even weeks.) But for many US citizens, death is simply something they deny.
A growing trend with young adults however is, Death Parties, where over dinner, they simply discuss what would happen if they, or some else died. No doubt many of these adults were children/teens in the late 80s and early 90s, when Goths wore black and talked about death and monsters, rather than wearing pink and talking about drugs and cartoons. But I’m getting off track… back to Halloween.
So if US citizens don’t celebrate the dead, what do they do?
In modern times, Halloween has become a night for kids to dress up and travel door to door asking for handout of treats (despite all the warnings not to take candy from strangers the rest of the year), called Trick-or-Treating, and people of all ages attend parties. Many adults regard Halloween as kid’s holiday and don’t bother to celebrate at all apart from possibly handing over obligatory treats so their houses don’t get egged. At some point prior to Halloween most families with kids, and some without, carve pumpkins into Jack-O’-Lanterns.
Both Trick-or-Treat and Jack-O’-Lanterns hail back to the traditions of ghosts and by proxy, evil spirits, entering the world at midnight when All Saints Day begins. Jack-O’-Lanterns, an originally Irish tradition with an interesting story attached about a drunkard named Jack (though I like the Dutch version better, where Jack isn't drunk, but so Evil that even the devil doesn’t like him). Jack-O’-Lanterns were originally carved from turnips, but pumpkins have become the vegetable of choice in a land that once had no turnips, because they are big, easier to cut, and almost hallow.
Trick-or-Treat on the other hand evolved from young adults dressing up to snatch treats that were left out to distract ghosts and ghouls, and playing pranks on neighbors. I have seen one older photograph where pranksters managed to move a farmer’s car onto his roof. Some disassembly is suspected, of course, this was back when anyone could disassemble and reassemble a car, now computerized components and special tools would make this very difficult.
Halloween parties were also, originally an adult event.
Halloween (also known as All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Eve) is actually the first day of a three-day holiday called Hallowmas, (All Hallow’s Eve, All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day). However many households in the US only celebrate this first day, and almost entirely without celebrating the lives of dead family members. Death, is in fact, is petty much taboo in the US. You don’t talk about it, you don’t celebrate it.
(A three-day Christian holiday is also called a Triduum, by the way, in reference to the Holy Trinity.)
Now, don’t misunderstand; there are certain cultural and religious groups within US communities may go on to celebrate the second and even third day. Many Latino families will celebrate a version of All Saint’s Day called the Day of the Dead, in which offerings are made to dead loved ones. (In some parts of Central and South America, the Day of the Dead will be celebrated for several days, and even weeks.) But for many US citizens, death is simply something they deny.
A growing trend with young adults however is, Death Parties, where over dinner, they simply discuss what would happen if they, or some else died. No doubt many of these adults were children/teens in the late 80s and early 90s, when Goths wore black and talked about death and monsters, rather than wearing pink and talking about drugs and cartoons. But I’m getting off track… back to Halloween.
So if US citizens don’t celebrate the dead, what do they do?
In modern times, Halloween has become a night for kids to dress up and travel door to door asking for handout of treats (despite all the warnings not to take candy from strangers the rest of the year), called Trick-or-Treating, and people of all ages attend parties. Many adults regard Halloween as kid’s holiday and don’t bother to celebrate at all apart from possibly handing over obligatory treats so their houses don’t get egged. At some point prior to Halloween most families with kids, and some without, carve pumpkins into Jack-O’-Lanterns.
Both Trick-or-Treat and Jack-O’-Lanterns hail back to the traditions of ghosts and by proxy, evil spirits, entering the world at midnight when All Saints Day begins. Jack-O’-Lanterns, an originally Irish tradition with an interesting story attached about a drunkard named Jack (though I like the Dutch version better, where Jack isn't drunk, but so Evil that even the devil doesn’t like him). Jack-O’-Lanterns were originally carved from turnips, but pumpkins have become the vegetable of choice in a land that once had no turnips, because they are big, easier to cut, and almost hallow.
Trick-or-Treat on the other hand evolved from young adults dressing up to snatch treats that were left out to distract ghosts and ghouls, and playing pranks on neighbors. I have seen one older photograph where pranksters managed to move a farmer’s car onto his roof. Some disassembly is suspected, of course, this was back when anyone could disassemble and reassemble a car, now computerized components and special tools would make this very difficult.
Halloween parties were also, originally an adult event.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Legend Tripping
Along the same lines as Paranormal Investigation and trolling e-Bay for Possessed Items, there’s a little activity called Legend Tripping. Now, it’s nowhere near as scientific as Paranormal Investigation, and it’s not as safe as viewing pictures of items and locations from your computer, but for those (usually teenagers) interested in the paranormal, it’s a world of fun (or terror) all it’s own.
After receiving information on a local legend, usually accompanied by a dare, participants will travel (usually at night) to a location indicated by the legend and attempt to fulfill the conditions of the legend and/or dare. Common legends involve graveyards where interaction with certain graves/crypts will trigger activity, and railroad crossings where ghost children will push your car across the tracks if you stop on them. These in turn have led to cautionary tales that basically warn against Legend Tripping, such as the one about a young woman who dies of fright after driving a knife into a serial killer’s grave, because she believes he has grabbed her jacket.
Legend Tripping is most common among teenagers, sometimes as right of passage, who may perform illegal activity during the evening to heighten the experience or fulfill the dare. Which of course only puts them, and Legend Tripping in general, at further odds with real Paranormal Investigation and local Conservatives. To help lessen this, some reference sites give specific instructions for Respect when Legend Tripping.
Despite this tension, it’s probably not going to go away anytime soon, and in fact, has a long history, with similar incidents taking place in several classic books.
After receiving information on a local legend, usually accompanied by a dare, participants will travel (usually at night) to a location indicated by the legend and attempt to fulfill the conditions of the legend and/or dare. Common legends involve graveyards where interaction with certain graves/crypts will trigger activity, and railroad crossings where ghost children will push your car across the tracks if you stop on them. These in turn have led to cautionary tales that basically warn against Legend Tripping, such as the one about a young woman who dies of fright after driving a knife into a serial killer’s grave, because she believes he has grabbed her jacket.
Legend Tripping is most common among teenagers, sometimes as right of passage, who may perform illegal activity during the evening to heighten the experience or fulfill the dare. Which of course only puts them, and Legend Tripping in general, at further odds with real Paranormal Investigation and local Conservatives. To help lessen this, some reference sites give specific instructions for Respect when Legend Tripping.
Despite this tension, it’s probably not going to go away anytime soon, and in fact, has a long history, with similar incidents taking place in several classic books.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Paranormal Objects on eBay
I may have found a new hobby…
A friend recently commented on the entertainment value of browsing through eBay’s Paranormal section in search of haunted objects. Not to bid on said items, but for the entertainment value of seeing what people are trying to sell, and if people are actually willing to bid on it, “Please pay to take my ghost problem.”
Some items and stories seem to be of decent quality, like this recently sold item supposedly contains the spirit of a little boy. The old owner claims the doll needs attention or the attached ghost will start misbehaving:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PARANORMAL-HAUNTED-DOLL-POSSESSED-BY-9-YR-OLD-BOY-MICHAEL-/231063914110?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cc7b867e#ht_310wt_1200
Supposedly haunted dolls seem to be a popular listing (some of which are clearly not as old as the current owner claims them to be, do some research when buying antiques, haunted or otherwise), as does tacking the phrase ‘witch owned’ onto such dolls. There’s apparently a Wicca belief that dolls can contain protective spirits, but how many of these dolls are just labeled this way to boost sales? It might seem like a lot of work, but if a super short story could get you another ten bucks, would you write it?
Some people just tack Haunted and other Tags onto their items to get as many hits as possible. This doll was also listed as Steampunk, and I assure you, it’s not:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Antique-Doll-Head-Creepy-Gothic-Haunted-Halloween-Steampunk-Zombie-Torso-/300977569489?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4613a93ed1#ht_101wt_1170
Some items seem to hold legal problems, such as the supposed human remains contained in this item. Depending on circumstance selling human remains may be illegal. Were the police ever notified that these remains were found?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GHOST-BOX-CONTAINING-BONES-AND-DOLL-FROM-STANLEY-HOTEL-SITE-OF-THE-SHINING-/161115395054?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258339d3ee#ht_326wt_1170
And some seem just to be for giggles. Like these paper boxes the poster claims contain ghosts with 2-dimesional personalities, as indicated by the ribbons on the boxes:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Ghost-Box-Own-your-own-ghost-/121172825396?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c36769534#ht_994wt_1170
Others are hilariously dubious, like these cheap mass-produced earrings that the poster claims will allow you to see ghosts:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Haunted-10kt-Gold-Stud-Earrings-/181229333220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a321c2ae4#ht_158wt_1170
Of course I caution anyone greatly if they are considering an item that may be possessed or cursed:
1) Obviously, first off, there’s a lot of scams, people selling cheap replicas of antiques with a creepy story tacked on to boost sales.
2) If it is real, the current owners are trying to get rid of it for a reason. You don’t really know what you’re trying to bring into your home.
3) If you live with other people, it’s not fair to them to bring a possessed/cursed item into your home, even if you think you can handle it.
A friend recently commented on the entertainment value of browsing through eBay’s Paranormal section in search of haunted objects. Not to bid on said items, but for the entertainment value of seeing what people are trying to sell, and if people are actually willing to bid on it, “Please pay to take my ghost problem.”
Some items and stories seem to be of decent quality, like this recently sold item supposedly contains the spirit of a little boy. The old owner claims the doll needs attention or the attached ghost will start misbehaving:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PARANORMAL-HAUNTED-DOLL-POSSESSED-BY-9-YR-OLD-BOY-MICHAEL-/231063914110?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cc7b867e#ht_310wt_1200
Supposedly haunted dolls seem to be a popular listing (some of which are clearly not as old as the current owner claims them to be, do some research when buying antiques, haunted or otherwise), as does tacking the phrase ‘witch owned’ onto such dolls. There’s apparently a Wicca belief that dolls can contain protective spirits, but how many of these dolls are just labeled this way to boost sales? It might seem like a lot of work, but if a super short story could get you another ten bucks, would you write it?
Some people just tack Haunted and other Tags onto their items to get as many hits as possible. This doll was also listed as Steampunk, and I assure you, it’s not:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Antique-Doll-Head-Creepy-Gothic-Haunted-Halloween-Steampunk-Zombie-Torso-/300977569489?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4613a93ed1#ht_101wt_1170
Some items seem to hold legal problems, such as the supposed human remains contained in this item. Depending on circumstance selling human remains may be illegal. Were the police ever notified that these remains were found?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GHOST-BOX-CONTAINING-BONES-AND-DOLL-FROM-STANLEY-HOTEL-SITE-OF-THE-SHINING-/161115395054?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258339d3ee#ht_326wt_1170
And some seem just to be for giggles. Like these paper boxes the poster claims contain ghosts with 2-dimesional personalities, as indicated by the ribbons on the boxes:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Ghost-Box-Own-your-own-ghost-/121172825396?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c36769534#ht_994wt_1170
Others are hilariously dubious, like these cheap mass-produced earrings that the poster claims will allow you to see ghosts:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Haunted-10kt-Gold-Stud-Earrings-/181229333220?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a321c2ae4#ht_158wt_1170
Of course I caution anyone greatly if they are considering an item that may be possessed or cursed:
1) Obviously, first off, there’s a lot of scams, people selling cheap replicas of antiques with a creepy story tacked on to boost sales.
2) If it is real, the current owners are trying to get rid of it for a reason. You don’t really know what you’re trying to bring into your home.
3) If you live with other people, it’s not fair to them to bring a possessed/cursed item into your home, even if you think you can handle it.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Unlucky and Cursed Numbers
Magical numbers, divine numbers, unlucky numbers, cursed numbers, most every culture and religion has numbers that they believe to have power. And many people even have numbers that they believe to be lucky or unlucky for themselves.
Here’s some of the most unlucky and cursed numbers:
In western culture the number 13 has long been considered unlucky, and buildings are still being built ‘without’ a 13th floor:
MSN Real Estate News: http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post--buildings-still-cater-to-the-superstitious-by-skipping-the-13th-floor
BTW, the floor is still there, they just call it the 14th floor. It gets funnier, no, really, it does:
"…a 2007 Gallup poll found that 13 percent of Americans would be bothered by staying on the 13th floor of a hotel…"
- Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College.
LiveScience: http://www.livescience.com/39566-friday-the-13th-superstitions.html
Additionally Friday is considered unlucky in Christianity, as the day of the week Christ died, so Friday the 13th is considered particularly unlucky.
Other cultures have selected different unlucky numbers. In some parts of Africa 12 is particularly unlucky. A old folktale tells of a man with 12 sons. One day, while measuring out a portion of grain for each of them, a lion leapt out of the bush and killed the 12th son.
In China 4 is unlucky because it sounds like Death (0, 5, 6 are also unlucky, but not to the same degree). And in Japan both 4 and 9 are unlucky because they sound like Death and Suffering. By the way, 4 + 9 = 13, so while 13 isn’t strictly unlucky, it’s sometimes considered unlucky by proxy.
Furthermore, some numbers are believed to be cursed! In Christianity, there’s the infamous mark of the beast, the dreaded triple 6s. A section of highway running between Colorado and New Mexico, now renamed Route 191, once bore this number and is still believed to be cursed, earning the nickname The Devil’s Highway.
Here’s some of the most unlucky and cursed numbers:
In western culture the number 13 has long been considered unlucky, and buildings are still being built ‘without’ a 13th floor:
MSN Real Estate News: http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post--buildings-still-cater-to-the-superstitious-by-skipping-the-13th-floor
BTW, the floor is still there, they just call it the 14th floor. It gets funnier, no, really, it does:
"…a 2007 Gallup poll found that 13 percent of Americans would be bothered by staying on the 13th floor of a hotel…"
- Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College.
LiveScience: http://www.livescience.com/39566-friday-the-13th-superstitions.html
Additionally Friday is considered unlucky in Christianity, as the day of the week Christ died, so Friday the 13th is considered particularly unlucky.
Other cultures have selected different unlucky numbers. In some parts of Africa 12 is particularly unlucky. A old folktale tells of a man with 12 sons. One day, while measuring out a portion of grain for each of them, a lion leapt out of the bush and killed the 12th son.
In China 4 is unlucky because it sounds like Death (0, 5, 6 are also unlucky, but not to the same degree). And in Japan both 4 and 9 are unlucky because they sound like Death and Suffering. By the way, 4 + 9 = 13, so while 13 isn’t strictly unlucky, it’s sometimes considered unlucky by proxy.
Furthermore, some numbers are believed to be cursed! In Christianity, there’s the infamous mark of the beast, the dreaded triple 6s. A section of highway running between Colorado and New Mexico, now renamed Route 191, once bore this number and is still believed to be cursed, earning the nickname The Devil’s Highway.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Ghost Animals
I’ve heard a few accounts of people encountering ghosts of pets and other domesticated animals, as well as wild animals or animals that may never have been animals to start with, including some tales of family guardians/totems.
Sometimes these stories get debunked as with the woman who thought her cat had returned, because sand being dragged in from a nearby lot where her cat had liked to go, but found it was only falling of her granddaughter’s stuffed toy.
For myself, I’ve had a possible experience with ghost animals. This happened sometime between 1999 and 2003. I was staying the night at a friend’s house, and they had two dogs; a corgi with a cropped tail, and a lab. The corgi slept with my friend and the lab slept with the parents.
During the night, curled up in my sleeping bag, I felt a dog step over me and it’s tail smacking me. I figured it was the lab (since the corgi had very little tail) and just went back to sleep whenever it happened. I looked around once, but didn’t see anything, so I assumed the dog had gone back downstairs. In the morning I told my friend the lab had been coming up and bugging me. The parents however kept the door closed (as they later confirmed), therefore lab couldn’t have left their room.
However, my friend then explained to me that the room we’d been sleeping in had once been used to breed dogs. The former owner apparently was not very good about this, and several of the dogs had died in that room. So obviously, my friend figured, it may have been the spirit of one of these dogs that I’d encountered.
Sometimes these stories get debunked as with the woman who thought her cat had returned, because sand being dragged in from a nearby lot where her cat had liked to go, but found it was only falling of her granddaughter’s stuffed toy.
For myself, I’ve had a possible experience with ghost animals. This happened sometime between 1999 and 2003. I was staying the night at a friend’s house, and they had two dogs; a corgi with a cropped tail, and a lab. The corgi slept with my friend and the lab slept with the parents.
During the night, curled up in my sleeping bag, I felt a dog step over me and it’s tail smacking me. I figured it was the lab (since the corgi had very little tail) and just went back to sleep whenever it happened. I looked around once, but didn’t see anything, so I assumed the dog had gone back downstairs. In the morning I told my friend the lab had been coming up and bugging me. The parents however kept the door closed (as they later confirmed), therefore lab couldn’t have left their room.
However, my friend then explained to me that the room we’d been sleeping in had once been used to breed dogs. The former owner apparently was not very good about this, and several of the dogs had died in that room. So obviously, my friend figured, it may have been the spirit of one of these dogs that I’d encountered.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Lightning
We’ve had a lot of thunder storms lately. Some people claim natural phenomenon, like extreme weather such as lightning, and geological formations such as quartz in the bedrock, can give strength to spiritual activity.
Some even claim that ball lightning may be manifestation of spirits. These spheres pop in and out of existence as quickly as ghost orbs. Of course the vast majority of recorded ghost orbs appear to be dust, but that’s not so say all orbs are.
Last night was exceptionally fascinating, with sideways cloud to cloud lightning. Normally all we get here is thin single vertical bolts. It’s funny how different locations seem to get different types of lightning. The lightning I saw in Montana was really thick, and the lightning I saw in Florida (accompanied by 15 minutes of rain each time) was the beautiful upside-down tree shaped sort of lightning.
So far I haven’t experienced anything particularly paranormal in relation to lightning, but that probably okay.
Some even claim that ball lightning may be manifestation of spirits. These spheres pop in and out of existence as quickly as ghost orbs. Of course the vast majority of recorded ghost orbs appear to be dust, but that’s not so say all orbs are.
Last night was exceptionally fascinating, with sideways cloud to cloud lightning. Normally all we get here is thin single vertical bolts. It’s funny how different locations seem to get different types of lightning. The lightning I saw in Montana was really thick, and the lightning I saw in Florida (accompanied by 15 minutes of rain each time) was the beautiful upside-down tree shaped sort of lightning.
So far I haven’t experienced anything particularly paranormal in relation to lightning, but that probably okay.
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