Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle in Sunday Edition of Richmond Times-Dispatch

Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle got a mention in the Virginia Book Notes of the Book page of of Richmond Times-Dispatch Sunday edition (May 4th). It's the fourth paragraph as you scroll down. http://is.gd/FNEUQQ

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Weird Wednesday has three package of ground hamburger that are arranged as letters. How odd.

Supernatural Friday: Top Ten Supernatural TV Shows

Autumn is upon us, along with fall premiere of television shows. Among these TV shows will be paranormal ones returning and news one premiering for their first season. One show returning for its seventh season that I admit is a favorite of mine is Supernatural.

For Supernatural Friday today, I will post ten of my favorites. It will only be the fictional shows, not any reality one. I have more that I have enjoyed over the years, but will leave to the readers to comment on their faves.

1. Supernatural
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Dark Shadows (190s-70s)
4. X-Files
5. Friday the 13th
6. Twiight Zone (1950s-60s)
7. Kolchak the Night Stalker
8. Haven
9. Eerie, Indiana
10. Are You Afraid of the Dark?


Now what is your favorite paranormal television shows?

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Looks like this tree is growing despite the wall.

Supernatural Friday: Can Weather and Other Things Affect the Paranormal?

My adult son told me he heard a loud bang last night from the office as we slept and he ran into there, only to find nothing undisturbed. When I said it might be from an aftershock from the earthquake that hit Virginia, he said only heard the bang from one wall and nothing shook. I thought that maybe it was a ghostly presence? And wondered if spirits are affected by disturbances like quakes, hurricanes, and more, like it is said thunderstorms can cause things to do with the paranormal.

As the livng here scramble to prepare for Hurricane Irene, do ghosts react negatively or positively to this threat too? Did the quake and its aftershocks make more paranormal activity along the East Coast than normal?

At http://www.examiner.com/christian-living-in-raleigh/is-the-world-ending-part-1-earthquakes-hurricanes-tornadoes-wars-debts they talk about how this might suggest the end of the world as prophesized. But my concern is more in how the atmosphere from first the quake and now the hurricane might make phantoms appeared more often than the norm.

I do know that there are spirits who forewarn those of approaching storms, like the Gray Man of Pawley Island, South Carolina. He always appears just before a storm hits the island, warning the inhabitants. When the "Storm of 1822" slammed the area, most perished, except one young girl and her family. According to legends, she was warned by the phantom of her departed lover. A man in 1954 was also warned by a stranger to take his family and flee. The man returned after the storm left the area only to find most of the island in shambles, except for his house. Even the wash was still left on the line! That is another facet of the legend, that those who see the Grey Man means that no harm will come to them.

Another is the "Gray Man" of Hatteras, North Corolina. Legends says that the ghost is of a sailor named Gray, who perished on his ship when it was caught in a hurricane. He hangs close to the lighthouse, warning those of the approaching storms. Those who do not heed his warning are doomed to die when the hurricane hits Hatteras.

So when Irene leaves the East Coast, take notice of anything strange. Do you hear voices when no one is there or suddenly, do things on your shelves fly off ? It would be interesting to check out. And if you see the Gray man, listen to him.

Weird Wednesday

This game is using Barbie dolls? What do you think?

Supernatural Friday: Demons-Part 2

Last week I talked about demons, and how they are a part of Judaic and Christianity. Today, demons of other rleigions and races get their chance.

Assyrians may have had the first demon tales. Besides having the public and official cult of the "twelve great gods and subordinate divinities," they also did sorcery and magic. Below the upper gods, there was a huge lore of spirits, some good, others evil and hurtful. Interestingly enough, these spirits were classified with same methods and more to the choirs and orders of Judaic and Christian angelic hierarchy.

There were three books (most likely clay tablets) that had a great magical work. Each of these tablets ends with the title, Tablet #--of Evil Spirits. Besides known as udukku (spirit), a demon was also called ecimmu, or maskimmu.On of these was a special class called sedu--divine bull. It is represented as a man-headed bull (not unlike the Greek myth of the Minotaur--maybe even the Christian devil represented with horn and a forked tail?). No doubt the name was the source for the Hebrew word for demon. Though it was also a beneficient or tutelary spirit, to rival nation it can be corrupted to an evil being.

Demon lore in Mesopotamia was rich; the Mesopotamians feeling they were under constant attack from evil on all sides. Demonic entities usually were spirits caused by natural forces such as fire, plagues, droughts, infants dying from crib deaths and diseases. They assumed fantastically-shaped creatures made up from several parts of living things like scorpions, lions, serpents and hawks. One example of this was the Sumerian demon, Pazuzu, who was made famous by the horror film, "The Exorcist." It had four wings, clawed feet of a hawk, and a snarling lion-like face.

Mesopotamians fought these demons back with magic. Placing special bowls inscribed with special word charms upside down under their houses' foundations, they hoped to catch these demos and prevent them from entering their homes through the ground. Amulets with avertive verses against certain demons (like those who attack the lives of women giving birth) also were made.

After Babylonians were captured, ancient Hebrews assorbed much of Sumerian demons and lore into their own folklore. Over time, these became Jewish demons, like Lilith, who strangled children in their cribs and visited solitary men in their beds to seduce and caused nocturnal emissions. Lilith began life as a Babylonian demon known as the lilitu. She mutated into the first wife of Adam, who refused obedience to God.

Another source of demonologies is presented in the Avesta, the sacred book of the Mazdean religion of Zoroaster. Zoroastrianism is the doctrine teaching of Zarathustra, also known as Mazdaism, Bah Din, Parasiism, and Fire-worship.

This doctrine was founded by the Persian prophet, Zoroaster of Zarathustra around 720-541 B.C. He claimed he received these revelations when conversing with Ahura Mazda (Lord of Wisdom). These ancient religion, not popular like the Assyrians, still exists in the Parsee community. It talks about the war between light and dark, that good and evil is eternal. This myth is based on the Persian worship of the ahuras, good deities eternally at war with evil daevas. Is this not sound like Christian doctrine of eternal struggles between Heaven and Hell? What Zoroaster's system did is do away with a single deity in favor os a cosmic struggle between the good Ahura Mazda (Ormzad) and Ahriman (Anro Mainya), the cruel Evil Spirit, the Demon of Demons (Daevanam Daeva).

Though differences prevailed between the Avesta and the devil in Scripture and Christian theology, the essential fight between good and evil is similar in both cases. Also the pictures of the holiness and fidelity of Zoroaster when assailed by the temptations and persecutions of Anro Mainyus and his demonic entities is faintly close to the scene of the temptation of Jesus Christ in the desert.

Demons in Greek mythology may have gotten their heritage from the former civilizations of the Indus. Some of the creatures from Greek mythology are integrated into Jewish and Christian demonology--the hydra, Titans, Pan, and mermaids.

Tibetan demonology integrated into Buddhism and the main local branches. Though often misunderstood or misinterpreted, the scope of the still-know iconography is living proof that the pre-Buddhist Bon-Po tradition gave birth to their terrifying monsters. Today they are considered as an angry form of divinities and pure emptiness, before they were considered fearsome demons and gods who ruled the mysterious heights of the planet.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

For Weird Wednesday we have a picture of a woman lying on a pillow that looks to be a man's shirt with a body in it and a hand sticking out of a sleeve, holding her. What would be the weirdest pillow that you would ever see?

Book Signing This Saturday, August 20th at Twice Told Tales in Gloucester, Virginia

I'm having a book release party for my new release, Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations, at Twice Told Tales Bookstore in Gloucester, Virginia this Saturday, August 20, 2011. The time is 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the address is 6658 Main Street. For directions and more information, the bookstore's phone number is 804-693-9209. Come in and besides getting a singed copy, be entered for my giveaway of a basket of goodies, including a $10 gift certificate to the bookstore. You do not have to be present to win, but I will draw the winner at the end of my signing. Twice Told Tales

Call the bookstore if you can not make to reserve a signed copy for you to pick up another day, or to be sure copies of my other books will be there too, besides the new release.

Virginia's Haunted Historic Traingle Already has Reviews!

My new release, Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations, had two reviews already! Both good ones, too. First one is at the Richmond Psychic and Paranormal Examiner.com . The second one is at Southern Spirit Guide.

Supernatural Friday: Demons--Part I

Today, I want to touch on demonic entities. What makes a demon, and are they in all the world's myths and legends, or just the Christian Bible? Every culture in the world has some sort of demon belief. Of course, the most widely known are concerned with the Judaic, Christian, and Catholic sources. Gemon is also called diamon and daemon (from Ancient Greek).

Hard to really pinpoint the first demon tale, but a good place would be the Persian and Assyrian empires. In the ancient past, demons had both capacity for both doing evil and good. The word "demon" meant 'celestial body,' maybe coming possibly from Indo-European sources. Also in all religions and cultures, demons are likely more than half animal, besides grotesque in appearance.

Devil and demon were confusing in their meaning in Orthodox traditions. A devil usually fought a divine authority for control of existence. Such scenarios had the "end of time" where good vanquishes evil.

Demons are like angels and under control of the Devil--unclean spirits. Malevolent, they always seek to torment humanskind with their wickedness. Demons did this by whispering wicked ideas into humans' ears, with corruption of said human as the goal. They also wandered the world as spirits to torment and frighten mortals with their forms. Last, they possess a living body, controlling the actions, with harm to the possessed in mind.

Demons in many Christian stories and legends are also summoned and controlled. Many times this is a wizard, sorcerer, witch, Satanist, and even by a normal human. And of course, the Christian Devil has horns and a tail, with a pitchfork. Though that was not aways the look he had, not until after pagans turned to Christianity in medieval Europe. No doubt, this came from the horned God and Goddess of the old religion.

Sigmund Freud developed the concept that demons were the important relation of living to the dead, revealing that demons are thought of those as those who recently passed away shows how much mourning has on the origin of belief in demons.

Next Friday, I'll talk about demon myths in other religions and cultures outside of Judiac and Christian ones.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Very odd bicycle--making it look like a camel? What do you think?

Virginia's Haunted Historic Traingle's First Review

My new release, Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations, received not only its first review today at the Richmond Pyschic and Paranormal Examiner, but a great one. http://is.gd/Oxstml

Supernatural Friday: Scared Yet?

Scared Yet?

Eyes watching me in my nightmares,

A shadow hovers in the corner of my room

A howl on a moonlit night gives me shivers,

Footsteps of someone invisable caught on my recorder

Are you scared yet?




Fingers touching my shoulder,

Turning, nothing's there.

Whispers carried on the air,

No one is there.

Are you scared yet?




Alone in the house,

All lights on,

One by one, they go out,

Leaving you in the dark

Are you scared yet?




You should be. . . .




Copyrights of this poem belongs to the author--do not take, but do share the link with friends.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Very odd fish picture. Real, or computer enhanced?

Supernatural Friday: Confessions of a Paranormal Investigator:Interviewing Carol Smith, Head of Richmond Paranormal Society

1.) -Please tell us why when you first had your first paranormal experience?
It was at a radio station I was working at in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania back in the 70’s. My shift was midnight to six a.m. A newsman had reportedly hung himself in one of the studios. I saw a man bending over the receptionist’s desk one minute as I headed into one of the studios. I stopped and backed up to look again, but he had vanished.

2.) – What started you doing investigations?
I’ve been always interested in the paranormal, but it used to scare me. In the past few years, I started watching shows like Ghost Hunters and realized spirits are people. They’re the energy we all have. They just don’t have bodies anymore. I wanted to communicate, help, and validate their existence.

3.) – When it appeared Richmond Paranormal Society had no one to lead the group what made you decided to take it over?
I didn’t want RPS to fall by the wayside. We have good people in our group and when Greg got too busy, he asked me if I would be interested in becoming the organizer.

4.) – What is the most rewarding thing about paranormal investigating?
I really enjoy working with team members when we do an investigation. It’s fun to show the others any new equipment you may have just gotten. It’s also great when we demonstrate how to work a piece of equipment that’s unfamiliar to a team member. I like learning from each other. Plus, it’s exciting when a spirit person leaves some EVPs on your recorder or “poses” for a photo.

5.)—Do you read books on the paranormal?
Yes, doesn’t everyone? :->

6.)—Among the books on the paranormal you have read, name a favorite one?
Wow, there’s so many it’s really tough to name one favorite. But, generally, I read books about haunted places in Virginia, the US, and Europe.

7.)—Besides these kinds of books, do you watch any of the paranormal TV shows (not just the investigator ones, but any of the others too)? Which one is your favorite?
I like Celebrity Ghost Stories. Actually, I’ll watch just about any show that has a paranormal theme.

8.) – Have you ever thought about writing a book on the paranormal?
Yes, but so far I haven’t attempted it.

9.) – Besides ghosts, are you interested in cryptos (Bigfoot, sea serpents, lake monsters, extinct animals…) and UFOs?
I’m not so much into crypto zoology. But, I’m very interested in UFO’s. I believe there is other intelligent life in the universe besides us. How could we be the only ones?

10.) - Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.).
I’m married and my husband is one of RPS’s staunchest skeptics :-> We have six furry felines (all rescues). I love reading—biographies, books on medieval England, Magick, first person accounts (like diaries of soldiers) and of course paranormal topics. I went to VCU and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work.

11.) - Tell where people can find the Richmond Paranormal Society?
Here is the link to our site: http://www.meetup.com/ghosts-644/ . You can look at our Pages tab without joining. But anyone should feel free to join. You don’t have to go on investigations. Everyone is welcome: Believers and skeptics.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Is this not a strange fashion statement? Would you wear this outside of a costume contest?

Supernatural Friday-Do Monsters and Ghosts Feel the Cold or Heat?

It's hot and humid here in Virginia. What the West suffered earlier this week, now we on the East Coast are feeling the effects, too. Do ghosts or monsters feel the humidity like we humans do?

I mean, spirits are those mortals who passed away from our plain of existence. Supposedly, you no longer need to eat, drink, or have any other mortal body functions. Do they still feel, even if it's a sort of memory? I always asked that question during an paranormal investigation when we're either sweating due to extreme heat or freezing to death. I haven't gotten an answer to that question yet.

What about Bigfoot or a lake monster, or even the Mothman? Because he's called the Jersey Devil, does that means if New Jersey's weather is in the 100s, he's fine, because we equate devil with Hell? And Hell means hot--right?

I know that the Sasquatch has to feel the heat, with all that fur/hair covering its body. As for the lake or sea serpent, it can duck beneath the surface to keep cool--unless the water levels start dropping. So the next time you decide to overwater your lawn, think of that poor lake monster who might die due to hardly any wster in its environment.

I'm not even going to talk about aliens or UFOs, even though I think the Mothman is an alien than anything paranormal. Like any tourist to somewhere else, they'll just have to do their research on what sort of clothing they should pack in their suitcases!

Next time, you relax in your AC or stay indoors in your heated house during the winter, think about all those phantoms, monsters and extinct beasties that have to suffer the weather too.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

While on a investigation with Richmond Paranormal Society, we found these three trees growing together, out of a fallen fourth. Had the tree trunk on the ground still lived and the other three grew from it? Very strange.

Supernatural Friday: Welcome to Fright Night

“I am Peter Vincent, vampire killer!” Peter Vincent-Fright Night (1985)

“Welcome to Fright Night For real!” Jerry Dandridge (1985)

Next month, on August 19th, the remake of Fright Night will be released in theaters. This time David tenant will play Roddy McDowell’s role, Larry Vincent, with Anton Yelchin as Charley Brewster and Colin Farrell as the vampire, Jerry Dandridge.

In always believe in giving a remake of a film or TV series a chance. Sometimes the remake is as food as the original, other times, better, I think, but again many times the remake falls flat on its face.

Let’s talk history about the original. It actually is homage of sorts to a real American horror host, Seymour, who hosted Fright Night and Seymour’s Monster Rally in Los Angles in 60s to early 70s, and presented—and heckled—low-budget horror and science fiction movies. He was noted for his style of criticizing the movies he presented in an offbeat and funny manner, usually appearing in a small window which would pop up in the corner, tossing a quip, then vanishing again. Sometimes he would, using blue-screen, appear in the middle of the movie, apparently interacting with the characters in the movie. He passed away after quickly succumbing to stomach cancer and died on March 9, 1975. His real name was Larry Vincent, and he was an actor. (See the connection to the vampire flick, Fright Night now? The name of the show and the host’s last name?) As an actor, Vincent scored some minor roles on the TV series GET SMART, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, MANNIX and MISSION and IMPOSSIBLE as well as Amos Coffin, the member of a witchcraft coven in the movie The Witchmaker (1969); as Andrew the gardener in The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971), and as a strangler in Doctor Death, Seeker of Souls (1973).

He called the watchers of his show, Fringies, and yes, that’s what I still am. Here’s a couple of clips of his show on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvS9XAr0uZA&feature=related and a not visual one but verbal-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_xBk3K990g&feature=related

Now you know a bit of the history of the first film. Besides Roddy McDowell, it stars Chris Sarandon as the vampire and William Ragsdale as Charley Brewster. Besides McDowell’s Peter Vincent, I loved Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) in this film. Watching the trailer for the remake version of Fright Night, the Evil Ed played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse in that one looks too nerdy. The punker look just worked more for me. What do you think? Not too sure about Colin Farrell either—looks too bad boy for me. Yes, as someone who writes paranormal romance under a pseudonym, vamps as bad boys are all and good, but for this horror film, I am not sure he omits the darkness that Chris Sarandon did. Will Farrell be able to pull it off? I admit to loving David Tennant ever since he played the 10th Doctor in the Doctor Who TV series (trivia note: he was the second Scotsman to play the Doctor). Will David wear Roddy’s vampire killer shows well? It’s to be seen. But like I said, I will give the film a chance, even though I am big fan of the original.

In 1985, a novelization, Fright Night, by Craig Spector and John Skipp was published by TOR Books. In 1988, Fright Night was also spun-off into a comic book series by Now Comics. It ran for 22 issues until July 1990. Both may be out of print, but do look for them.

What do you expect of this movie? Good? Bad? Scary? Plan to see it in the theater, or wait until DVD, Redbox, or Netflix? Or maybe not see it at all?

"Oh, you're so cool, Brewster!" Evil Ed in Fright Night (1985)