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I would venture to say that every adult who might happen across this post has had some experience with lawn mowing.  That is to say that most everyone has observed or participated in the act of grass cutting; making it a common practise and experience in most cultures (though I admit this may be an example of 1^st world chauvinism).

In any event, none (or at least very few) of those people would ever give a second thought to the potential pain and brutal destruction going on below their feet.  A grand act of herbicidal horror, genocide if you will, an act so heinous that, were it perpetrated against a conscious living being the culprit would be subject to the most capital of punishment and societal scorn.  But cutting the grass isn’t a crime, it isn’t murder (or aggravated assault?), and anyone who suggests otherwise should be facing the condescension of a psychiatric professional…or should they?

Well, I’ll tell you, there are quite a few people who might say that grass, or any plant for that matter is a feeling, emotional and communicative entity.  Known as plant perception or biocommunication, the idea that plants are sentient living beings is gaining support among the metaphysical / paranormal community.  And if this sounds strange to you, consider the common notion that plants respond to the human voice, and are nurtured by a daily dialogue.  I’m willing to bet there are many of you that talk to your plants on a regular basis.

The idea that plants respond to human interactions was first postulated by Dr. Gustav Theodor Fechner in 1848.  Fechner, an experimental psychologist, suggested that plants are capable of emotion and that one could promote healthy growth with talk, attention and affection.[1]  This idea remained largely untested until 1900, when Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose found, through experimentation, that all plants have a form of a nervous system and will respond to electric shock by spasm.

Support for this idea took some time to get off the ground though, until Cleve Backster, a CIA interrogation expert of all things, conducted experiments using a polygraph machine to measure bioelectrical responses in many types of plants.  Specifically, in February of 1966, Backster measured electrical resistance in the plant’s leaves which would change when the plant was watered.  He found that plants “…show a pattern typical of the response you get when you subject a human to emotional stimulation of short duration”.

As a result of his experiments, the idea that plants have a conscious awareness and capability to communicate with the world around them is now known as the Backster Effect.  Several books have been published expounding on the Backster Effect and expanding on the original hypothesis, such as The Secret Life of Plants by Tomkins and Bird.[2]  The effect was even tested by the inimitable Mysthbusters (Season 2, Episode 5, 2006), wherein they examined plants using a galvanometer (the main component of a polygraph machine).  They subjected plants to several real and imagined dangers, and even potential psychic influence, though they came up empty, finding no statistically relevant results.

It should be known that mainstream science largely views biocommunication and the Backster Effect to be pure pseudoscience (with some exception, which we’ll get to in a minute), dismissing the entire idea because of the fact that plants have no apparent nervous system.  But Hollywood has no such compunctions.  The popular M. Night Shyamalan movie The Happening, staring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel illustrated the dark side of the Backster Effect quite well.

Wahlberg’s dismal acting aside, is it possible that plants, the plants that surround us, from blades of grass to massive haunting forests, are actually plotting our collective demise?  After all, we do pretty much everything we can to annoy, afflict and assault them on a daily basis.  If they have emotions and the ability to express them, aren’t we due a retaliatory slap in the face about now?

As it turns out, Shyamalan and Wahlberg weren’t far off the mark.  In a paper published in the scientific journal Ecology Letters on May 9^th 2013, several scientists have found that plants actually do communicate, with each other if not the rest of the world.[3][4]  The paper, authored by a team of scientists from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, the James Hutton Institute and Rothamstead Research, details how plants – they used broad bean plants – use an underground network of fungus called mycorrhizae to signal other nearby plants of impending danger.

In their study, they subjected the plants to simulated attacks by aphids (small insects that feed on many different plants), and they found that through this fungal network, the plants were able to warn the other plants of the attack, giving them time to deploy defensive strategies such as releasing chemical pheromones to discourage the aphids and to attract wasps, the aphid’s natural predators.

Of course, there are several plant species that are known for their aggressive predatory adaptations, such as the Pitcher Plant and the Venus Fly Trap, but mainstream science tends to ignore these examples of plants that actively interact with their environment.  What if all plants are ultimately capable of affecting their environment in more subtle and potentially dangerous ways?

So the next time you’re mindlessly running the lawnmower over the front lawn, or when your mercilessly yanking weeds from your garden, think twice and be prepared to defend yourself against the uprising of the dandelions!

I know many people feel a deep connection to plant life and those people usually aren’t shy about describing their relationships with their garden’s inhabitants.  If you’re one of them, I invite you to share your story in the comment section below.

Sounds like the title to a bad Disney movie franchise, doesn’t it?  Well Snow White’s got nothing on Ellen Sadler – the first sleeping beauty.

It happened in 1871 in a small village named Turville, located in Buckinghamshire, UK.  At a mere 11 years old, Ellen passed into a deep sleep and didn’t wake for nine years.  But, alas, there was no prince charming to bring her out of it.

Ellen was a typical little girl, born to a large family of 12 children.  The Sadler’s were an impoverished farming family, and at age eleven Ellen was sent to work as a nursemaid, but soon after, she started experiencing bouts of drowsiness or somnolence and eventually took to seizures.  She was hospitalised for a brief time, but sent home when she was declared incurable.

Two days after her release from hospital, on March 17, 1871, she suffered a series of seizures and fell into a deep sleep from which she could not be roused.  Her mother, Anne Frewen – widowed by the death of her husband, Ellen’s father, when Ellen was a toddler – called for local doctor Henry Hayman, who was at a loss to explain the little girl’s condition.

As the days and weeks went by with Ellen slumbering in a seizure induced foetal position, word of her plight reached the press and the Sadler home (now known as “Sleepy Cottage”) became a veritable tourist attraction for medical practitioners, reporters, the religious and curiosity seekers.  As a result of the 19^thcentury media circus, many descriptions of the girl’s condition exist, like this from Bucks Free Press[1]:

“Her breathing was regular and natural, the skin soft and the body warm, as in a healthy subject; the pulse rather fast. The hands were small and thin, but the fingers quite flexible; the body somewhat emaciated; the feet and legs like those of a dead child, almost ice cold … the aspect of her features was pleasant, more so than might be expected under the circumstances … her eyes and cheeks were sunken, and the appearance was that of death … but although there was no colour on her cheeks, the paleness was not that heavy hue which betokens death.”

No official diagnosis was ever achieved, doctors at the time were stymied and talk of a hoax was floated about the small community.  This was supported, apparently, by the fact that Anne, who remarried to Thomas Frewen, was accepting monetary donations from those who wished to view the little girl in her deep slumber.  Anne was also criticised for limiting medical professionals access to Ellen for fear that their poking and prodding was detrimental to her daughter’s health, such as it was.

Of course, when one falls into prolonged unconsciousness, several logistical issues begin to pop up, such as feeding.  Anne undertook to sustain Ellen by feeding her port, milk and tea, and when Ellen’s jaw eventually locked shut, Anne was forced into using small toy teapots, the spouts of which were inserted between two broken teeth, to feed her gruel and other liquid foods.

Skeptics began to cry foul and drew parallels between Ellen’s case and the case of Sarah Jacobs, a girl from Wales who allegedly was able to survive without nourishment due to divine intervention.  Jacobs died of starvation in 1869 and her parents were charged and convicted of manslaughter.  Some sceptics insisted that authorities step in and move Ellen to a hospital, most thinking that her condition could be confirmed and successfully treated, but it was decided that there was no legal basis for removing the girl from her home.

Anne Frewen died in May 1880, leaving her sleeping daughter to be cared for by her two married sisters.  But five months later Ellen mysteriously awoke and was fully recovered by November of the same year.  This miracle recovery further fuelled the sceptics, who claimed that Anne had either been hoaxing the entire illness or that she was suffering from Münchausen Syndrome and had deliberately exaggerated and exacerbated Ellen’s condition, a situation that obviously ended with Anne’s death, leaving Ellen the opportunity to recover.

Ellen went on to marry the son of a nearby neighbour and had five children of her own.  She never experienced the symptoms of her earlier illness again, and suffered only slightly stunted growth and a weak eye as a result of her long sleep.  As mentioned, no diagnosis had ever been made, and considering the state of medical knowledge at the time, it’s no wonder.  A modern diagnosis might be extreme narcolepsy, or possibly coma induced by epilepsy, but the lack of a thorough examination of her condition by qualified medical practitioners, means the true cause will never be known.  And of course the possibility that the whole thing was hoaxed will never go away.

Many of us view sleep as a sanctuary, a place of comfort and something to look forward to every evening, but what if you went into a deep sleep and for whatever reason, slept away the better part of a decade?  In Ellen’s case, the missing time would be much less of a shock, culturally and technologically, but imagine if you will, that this case had taken place in 1970 or later.  Imagine the extreme culture shock that those who recover from long term coma would go through upon realising the drastic changes that have taken place in the world around them, while they slept.

This world would be an alien and confusing place for someone whose been asleep for nine years, and as Arthur C. Clark said, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

As if you needed yet another reason to be weary of leaving the sanctuary that is your home, from the annals of the paranormal comes a new freaky cryptid, or being, or whatever.

This time, the creature is so strangely silly it’s actually quite frightening, I’m referring to black stick-men.  No, they are not an adaptation of the blue man group, and though they seem to be popping up everywhere, it’s unlikely they’ll be invited to perform in Las Vegas.

The first written accounting of the black stick-men appears on Listverse.com, wherein the site founder, Jamie Frater lists some of the weirdest examples of paranormal phenomenon.  Black stick-men appear at number three on his list, beating out such entities as dog-head men and El Chupacabras. Frater describes them as totally black, thin, stick figures, as you might see in a

kindergarten class.  They are, apparently, two-dimensional beings, “impossibly tall” and walking with a strange sort of loping gait.

Frater says that they show surprise when they are discovered and will actually pursue witnesses, though no harm has ever been reported as a result of a stick-man encounter.  It seems that there is a parallel between the stick-men and Shadow People (schattenwesen) and even the black-eyed kidphenomenon.  Frater even says that some reports claim the stick-men wear “top hats”, much like Shadow People.

Frater’s list was published on Listverse.com on April 24, 2009, and if you take the time to read through the comments (which are quite long) you’ll find several first and second hand accounts of stick-man encounters, such as this one from user Simon Howes:

“In 1982, when I was a student nurse at Warley Hospital, Brentwood in Essex, England, I encountered a ‘stick person’ in the grounds of the Hospital as I was walking home one night. It lopped across the roadway having been, seemingly, pressed up against a wall. It stopped when it saw me and raised it’s arms in fright and quickly walked off into the undergrowth. It was very tall with very thin, extremely long arms and legs and a very small oval head. Totally black and no obvious clothing. I saw no face even though it emerged very near a street lamp and so was well illuminated. I was terrified and to this day, no-one believes me…”

As you can see, the phenomenon or at least witness accounts of it have been in circulation for some 30 years, making the black stick-men not so much new as rediscovered.

Apparently, a stick-man encounter leaves the witness with a pointed feeling of dread and danger, much like the feelings reported by Shadow People witnesses.  Some have speculated, in the case of Shadow People, that they are inter-dimensional beings, rather than something ghostly, demonic or extraterrestrial.  Could the black stick-men be visitors from another dimension as well?

I’ve written about inter-dimensionality before, wherein I pointed out that a dimension is nothing more than a direction – i.e. up, down, back and forth.  We live in a three dimensional world right? (Height, width and depth)  Well actually no, we live in a world of many dimensions – many physicists believe there are 10 space dimensions and one time dimension, some think there are more – but we can only experience three of those dimensions (four if you include time).  The others are tightly wrapped up into minute sub-atomic (actually sub-sub-atomic) geometric shapes that we are incapable of detecting, except through the mathematics of quantum physics.

The idea that a being could be from such a place is nonsense, mainly because other dimensions aren’t places at all.  But maybe I’m being too literal, when one says that a being is from another dimension, they could be referring to, say, another universe, if you subscribe to the many-worlds hypothesis, or the multiverse theory. Others yet may be referring to something more ephemeral or perhaps a realm such as heaven or hell, but where those places may actually be is a mystery.

In any event, where they come from is only one part of the experience, and a small part at that.  The black stick-men, a phenomenon that appears to be increasing in frequency, if you believe Tony Harrington of The Spirit Seekers, a phenomenon that is set to become the next paranormal fad.  What they are, wispy and thin, is up for debate, and unfortunately the only evidence we have of their existence thus far is anecdotal testimony of apparently random people on internet forums and blogs.

What do you think, are the black stick-men a hoax or an urban legend, or are they a real entity?  Are they connected in some way to the Shadow People or the black-eyed kids?  Express your opinion in the comment section below.  And as always, keep your eyes open!

Edit:  While not black, the “stick-men” in the following YouTube video may just be an example of the above.  Thanks to Syd for bringing them to my attention.

Well, it’s happened again, a highly valuable and prized historic monument has been destroyed by greed and in the name of “progress”.

Reported by 7News Belize on Monday 13, 2013, it seems a construction crew has demolished an historic Mayan pyramid at the Noh Mul site located in Northern Belize.  Apparently a road construction crew demolished the 2300 year old pyramid in order to utilise its large amount of limestone, which is a scarce commodity in the area.

Using backhoes and excavation equipment workers of the D-Mar road crew bulldozed the monument which sits amid a sugar cane field on privately owned land.  Some have said that the pyramid was overgrown with trees and vegetation, but that there was no mistaking what it was.

What is unanimously reported across news outlets is the fact that the pyramid has been completely destroyed with no hope of preservation.  The site is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as such enjoyed the protection of the local Institute of Archaeology alone, the President of which told 7News Belize that the “destruction is horrendous, it’s deplorable, it’s unforgivable.”

Local police have stepped in and shut down the worksite as they investigate with the potential to charge both the land owner and personnel from the construction firm with wilful destruction of an historical site.   What’s troubling is that this was not the first time limestone was taken from the Noh Mul site, in 1998 another of the 81 buildings on the 12 square-mile site was destroyed for similar purposes.

And this comes on the heels of the March 14^th incident earlier this year in Nazca, Peru, where a mining company destroyed a part of the historical Nazca Lines, which are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.  At this time it’s not known whether charged were levied in that case, but it does look like officials will take action in the Noh Mul investigation.

Archaeologist and member of the Belize Institute of Archaeology Dr. Jamie Awe had this to say about the incident[1]:

“I firmly believe it is important that we seek legal action otherwise we are sending a message that it is not important to preserve this heritage. A report that is being prepared by Dr. Morris is that the normal line of action is that this report gets sent to the Police Department in Orange Walk with a request from the Institute of Archaeology and that the police lay the ground works for charges to be made against those that are held responsible. In this case charges against the construction company for willfully [sic] destroying an ancient monument and the land owner who have had to be given permission for the company to access the property and then allow the destruction to take place.”

Public outrage for the incident has spread globally, thanks to the story being picked up by major US news outlets like CNN and Fox News and people around the globe are mourning for the loss of such important archaeological bounty.  Personnel from the Institute of Archaeology will be inspecting the ruin in the hopes of salvaging specific artefacts and to study parts of the pyramid exposed due to the damage.

Unfortunately, as global economies suffer and fluctuate, poorer countries like Belize and Peru are forced to make tough decisions regarding what sites to protect and by what means.  Leaving the potential for this kind of ignorance to result in the destruction of other sites; sites that, in all honesty, are the heritage of the entire human race, not just the people of their host countries.

It’s only a matter of time before we’ll see similar headlines decrying the ignorance perpetuated by the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar.

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Sir Isaac Newton

Heralded by many to be the foremost scientific mind in human history, Newton’s seat at the head of the class is challenged only by Albert Einstein.  Born 25 December 1642 (Julian calendar), Newton was an English physicist, mathematician and one of the most influential scientists in history.  He is most famously known for his book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (“Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”), commonly known only as Principia, but he was actually a prolific scientific author, publishing dozens of manuscripts and books on various scientific and political subjects. Newton’s achievements in the realm of science include:

• Inventing calculus (in competition with Gottfried Leibniz, resulting in the Leibniz-Newton calculus controversy)
• Demonstrating the prism effect and defining the spectrum of colour
• Inventing the first reflecting telescope
• Accurately describing the effect of gravity and formulating the Law of Universal Gravitation
• Formulating the Laws of Motion
• Contributing to the Formulation of the Laws of Thermodynamics

Newton held position as a fellow of Trinity College and was the second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge.  Later in life he became the President of the Royal Society and held public office as a Warden and as the Master of the Royal Mint (where he helped develop many of the standard anti-counterfeiting measures still in place today.)

These contributions to the advancement of human society are indeed laudable and awe inspiring, the genius of Newton dwarfs even the intellect of Stephen Hawking, yet he was, as many are unaware, captivated by an obsession with the occult.

At the height of his career, Newton wrote many works that would now be classified as occult studies; in fact there is some question about whether he valued his work in the occult over his scientific achievements.  He pursued the Fountain of Life and wrote extensively on Biblical Scripture, focusing on the apocalypse.

In fact Newton predicted the end of the world to occur not before the year 2060, as found scribbled in Newton’s hand on the back of a document in what is now known as the Yahuda collection.[1]

Newton was also fascinated by and wrote extensively on Chronology – which is the science of arranging historical and ancient events in their order of occurrence in time[2]– as well as the lost continent of Atlantis, and secret societies such as the Rosicrucians.  But most of his time was spent pursuing the lofty goal of the Philosopher’s Stone through the practise of alchemy.

Newton believed that it was in fact possible to change common metals into gold, and he believed that metals possessed a kind of life[3], thinking that the dendritic growth of silver from a solution, called a Diana’s Tree, was evidence in that regard.

In Newton’s time however, the church and the government alike banned the practise of alchemy, mostly to protect people from charlatans promising easy wealth.  But the English hierarchy also feared the devaluation of gold should these alchemists be successful in their quest.  Thus publishing works on his pursuit of alchemy would have put Newton’s freedom and life in jeopardy.  As a result much of his works on alchemy were never published and it is believed that a fire in his lab destroyed much of that work anyway.

During his alchemical period, as it commonly called, Newton suffered a nervous break-down that caused him to pull away from society at large for several years.  Many scholars believe that this episode might have been caused by accidental poisoning, whether by mercury, lead or some other element Newton might have used in his alchemical studies.

It is believed by some that Newton was a member of the Rosicrucians, the Priory of Scion (as made famous by Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code) or the Illuminati.  Some even believe that he may have been successful in turning a common metal into gold, giving such secret societies a means to dominate free markets and ultimately control the path of the populous into the future.  Though all published and available writings about or by Newton point to his efforts being for naught, it seems he did not succeed in his pursuit of alchemical supremacy.

Conspiracy theorists have latched onto Newton’s prediction of the end of the world, claiming that he found a secret code in the Bible, a series of equidistant letters that encoded prophetic events, such as 9/11, the JFK Assassination and several others.  Unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists, no evidence can be found in Newton’s writings to suggest that he was successful at deciphering the Bible Code, even though he came up with his 2060 apocalypse prediction through that process.

The colourful history of Sir Isaac Newton is a testament to the value of a scientific world-view.  His application of the scientific method brought about a revolution in scientific thinking, and one can’t help but wonder what was lost in his unpublished and destroyed writings on the occult.  Would we be further ahead in our pursuit of the unexplained had he not felt the oppression of smaller minds?  Newton was the giant on whose shoulders all scientists and occultists stand today.

They stand in perpetual stoicism, on watch over the coast as a monument to the fallen ancestors of the Rapa Nui people.  The mo’ai of Easter Island are the iconic symbol of Polynesian culture and they are one of the great wonders of the ancient world.

Easter Island, which sits over 3,500 miles from the coast of central Chile in the South-Pacific Ocean, owes its name to 18^th century European explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who landed on the island on Easter day in 1722.  Though most of the world knows it as Easter Island, there is some longstanding debate over the correct name for the island.  The front runner in that debate is Rapa Nui (which means Easter Island in the Polynesian dialect native to the island).

Aside from the iconic mo’ai, Easter Island is known as a stunning example of poor resource management and environmental exploitation.  The Rapa Nui civilization undertook massive deforestation efforts in the distant past, nearly stripping the island of all tree life.  Much of its landscape today is barren, except for wild grasses that grow on the volcanic terraces.

From a one time high of 15,000 inhabitants, the deforestation of the island contributed the demise of the once flourishing population, which by the time of the first European arrival had dropped to 2000-3000 people.  Disease introduced by the Europeans further drove their population down to 111 in 1877.  Today there are approximately 5,800 people living on Easter Island.

The mo’ai however, stand unaffected by the passage of time (for the most part).  Made of solidified volcanic ash, 887 statues were carved, it is believed, to commemorate the deaths of important members of their society.  Traditional wisdom suggests that the mo’ai were carved somewhere between 1100-1680 CE, which was apparently rectified through radio-carbon dating.[1]  Those findings are in question however.  Samples of ash from several mo’ai and samples from several coral eyes (with which many mo’ai are decorated) were used in the carbon¹⁴ dating procedure.  The above date range is the result, however these results don’t account for the possibility that some mo’ai and their accompanying ahu – the stone (basalt) platforms many mo’ai were erected upon – could have been carved much earlier.  Though most researchers agree with the dating, give or take a decade or so.

Carbon¹⁴ dating has its limitations, typically rock cannot be dated in this manner (which is why coral, that is very high in carbon, was used to come up with the date for the statues on the island), and some people, Ancient Alien theorists for one, claim that the carbon¹⁴ dating results are completely inaccurate.

As is their modus operandi, the AATs (Ancient Alien Theorists) point to elements of the mo’ai’s construction, transportation and erection and claim that our knowledge of these processes is either incomplete or inaccurate.  Most of these claims are easily dismissed, such as the claim that the Rapa Nui people didn’t have the tools necessary to carve the volcanic rock.  As mentioned above, the rock they are carved from is actually solidified volcanic ash called tuff and is quite soft.  Not to mention that many examples of the basalt stone tools that were used have been found in the quarry, inside the extinct volcano Rano Raraku, where nearly half of the islands mo’ai are located in various stages of construction.

AAT’s also claim that the transportation of these massive statues, some weighing over 14 tons, was impossible due to the fact that there are no trees on the island to supply wood for rollers, sleds or levers.  This, as most can see, is a chauvinistic view of Rapa Nui history.  When the first European explorers landed at Easter Island the land was rife with vegetation.[2]  Trees, shrubs and palms were everywhere, laying waste to the claim that there wasn’t enough wood to construct sleds and rollers.  In fact, a large mo’ai was recently (1958) erected on Ahu Ature Huke in Anakena beach using traditional methods, demonstrating that the so-called primitive techniques do in fact work for moving multi-ton stone statues.

Most recently however, the AAT’s have latched onto an idea that, at first glance seems to validate their position, which is that the mo’ai were carved and erected much earlier than mainstream archaeologists claim.

In the summer of 2011, researchers from the Easter Island Statue Project, embarked on what they called Field Season IV.[3]  During the course of this crowd-sourced excavation, the researchers uncovered a massive mo’ai buried under several feet of sediment and vegetation.  It’s generally agreed that the mo’ai wasn’t buried intentionally, which means that sediment was deposited on top of the statue gradually over a period of many, many years.

AAT’s claim that this is proof that the mo’ai are artefacts from a much earlier civilization on Easter Island, possibly ancient South Americans or even former inhabitants of the lost continent of Atlantis.  They suggest that the time it would have taken to fully bury the large mo’ai, as it was found, should be counted in the thousands of years, not hundreds.

Unfortunately, their understanding of the history of Easter Island leaves much to be desired.  Due to the massive deforestation of the island, the soil is prone to massive soil erosion issues.  Heavy rains and the natural movement of soil on a volcanic and tectonically active island result in large areas of soil literally moving all over the island, eventually covering up fallen mo’ai and even burying standing mo’ai up to their shoulders (most of the statues aren’t just heads, they’re actually full body carvings that are partially buried, leaving their torsos hidden.)  Because of the soil erosion problem, researchers believe that the statue dug up in 2011 was buried over a period of decades, and certainly not millennia.

Despite their fervent attempts to undermine the credibility of mainstream archaeology, the AAT’s come up short when it comes to Easter Island.  Each of their claims is easily answered with a little digging, and the heritage of the Rapa Nui people is safe from the pseudoscientific pillaging of Ancient Alien Theorists.

It’s a near certainty that some of you will disagree with this assessment of Easter Island and the mo’ai, and all those who would offer a differing opinion are welcome to leave a comment below.

The world has a long history of forests with apparently supernatural qualities, from the legendary Black Forest of southwestern Germany, where every manner of creature, from werewolves to sorcerers, are said to originate.  To England’s haunted Wychwood Forest, possibly the most haunted forest in Britain.  To Japan’s Aokigahara Forest, also known as the Sea of Trees, where more than 500 suicides have been reported since the 1950’s.

There’s something vaguely romantic about a mysterious wood, like Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame, which was known as a haven for everything evil.  The idea that a forest holds wicked truths and supernatural power seems to speak to us in a primal way.  Ancient stories perpetuate the myths of such haunted places, and the anonymity of a ghost story involving such a vast area seems to give license to more than a few urban legends.

One such instance of strangeness is Clapham Wood, where the aptly named Clapham Wood Mystery has been confounding paranormal researchers for decades.  Located in West Sussex, England,

Clapham Wood stands to the north of the small village of Clapham.  Historically, Clapham has been an archetypal English village, one that’s been around, likely, since Saxon times.  Over the last 300 years it has remained largely hidden from the outside world, except for the last four decades that is.

Perhaps the most mundane feature of Clapham Wood is it’s abundance of UFO sightings.  Since the 1960’s there have been hundreds of strange sightings both in the woods and in the village itself.  Of course, to say that UFO sightings are mundane may give you the wrong impression.  The area has been the focus of a great deal of UFOlogical study, and has hosted a number of sky-watching vigils over the years.  In addition, people have reported unexplained nausea and the distinct feeling that they were being followed.  Reports of a strange grey mist appearing suddenly on pathways throughout the wood, and instances of ghostly forces pushing hikers and dog-walkers have been known for years.  And studies using a Geiger counter showed a slightlyhigher level of radiation in the area.

The reason for the moniker ‘Clapham Wood Mystery’ though, is its ties to Satanic Cults.  In 1975, residents of Clapham were plagued by the illnesses and disappearances of beloved pets.

Three cases of which were covered widely by the press.  They told of two dogs that went missing without a trace and a third that suffered a mysterious paralysis.  The son of Peter Love, while walking their family chow in the wood, watched as his dog ran amongst the trees of the forest and disappeared, never to be seen again.  The following week, farmer John Cornford’s collie disappeared in the same place.  A third dog, a golden retriever owned by Mr E.F. Rawlins was found partially paralysed after running into the woods, the cause of which was never determined and which eventually led to its being euthanized.  This was only the tip of the iceberg however.

In April 1972, the body of an unidentified young woman was found in Clapham Woods.  The case was investigated by Police Constable Peter Goldsmith, among others at his detachment.  In June of the same year, Goldsmith himself disappeared.  Goldsmith, a former Royal Marine Commando had last been seen walking across the rolling Downs (grassy chalk hills) near the town’s 13^th century church.  Despite intense investigation and a wide search of the entire area, his body wasn’t found until six months later, on 13 December, amid a thick patch of bramble less than a half mile from the location where the girls body had been found.  No suspect was ever identified, nor was a cause of death.

And it doesn’t end there…

In July 1975, pensioner Leon Foster disappeared and was subsequently found three weeks later, by a couple who were searching for a horse in the wood, a horse that had also gone missing under mysterious circumstances.  Next, on Halloween of 1978, the vicar of Clapham, the retired Reverend Harry Snelling went missing.  His body was found three years later, by a Canadian tourist.  Again, no cause of death could be identified.

And in 1981 a homeless schizophrenic named Jillian Mathews disappeared.  When her body was found in the forest police determined that she had been raped and strangled.[1]

While no culprit was ever brought to account for these heinous crimes, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few theories about who was responsible.  Paranormal investigator Charles Walker, who was looking into the strange goings-on in and around Clapham, received a telephone call from an unknown man.  Described as “well-spoken”, the man claimed to have inside knowledge of the cause of the strange happenings of Clapham Wood.  A very spooky late-night rendezvous was arranged inside Clapham Woods, at the “Cross-Roads”.  When Walker arrived at the agreed location, he could find no one there, until a voice called out from the darkness of a nearby bramble claiming that it would be dangerous for both of them if Walker had seen the identity of the mysterious tipster.

The concealed informant explained that he was an initiate of the Satanist cult called The Friends of Hecate.  He claimed that the woods were used for their monthly meetings, and that the missing animals had been used as sacrifices to Hecate.  He made no mentioned of the deaths of the Constable, or the Reverend or any of the others, but Walker drew a connection between all of the events.  The mysterious man then issued a dire warning, saying:

“There are people in high places involved, holding positions of power and authority, who will tolerate no interference.  We will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of our cult.”[2]

This warning came close on the heels of reverend Snelling’s disappearance, barely a week before.

The Friends of Hecate are reportedly an occult sect that worships Hecate, an ancient pagan goddess said to be associated with cross-roads, fire, light, the Moon, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, necromancy, and sorcery.[3]

Typically worship of Hecate finds it roots in a re-evaluation of ancient Greek mythology, and is not readily attributed to Satanism.  Nonetheless, The Friends of Hecate laid claim to the mysterious woods of Clapham for a period of at least 20 years, allegedly holding monthly ritualistic gatherings, at which a blood sacrifice was always required.  It is believed that the group used the Clapham Woods until they were forced to find an alternate location after the Great Storm of 1987 damaged large tracts of the forest.

Apparently as a result of all the suffering and death that have occurred in and around Clapham Woods, many paranormal investigators today believe the forest to be among the most haunted places in England.  When one considers the morbid history of the area accompanied by the reported UFO activity, one is hard pressed to retain scepticism of this assertion.

Something strange calls the woods of Clapham home.

On May 14, 2013, NASA reported a massive X-Class solar flare, as increased solar activity continues to worry NASA mission leaders and telecomm officials around the world. This recent flare, which wasn’t related to a coronal mass ejection or CME, as they often are, occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. EDT on the 14^th, and was classified as X1.2 flare, and is the 18^th X-class flare of the current solar cycle.[1]

So what does that mean?  Well, basically it means that the sun burped and sent a mass of solar radiation at us.  That radiation affects the Earth’s magnetic field, sometimes disrupting communication with satellites, and can cause malfunctions in key systems, like the Global Positioning System or GPS for instance.

The sun goes through periodic variations or cycles of high and low activity that repeat approximately every 11 years.  We are currently in the grips of a high cycle, which means increased solar activity, such as solar flares and CME’s as well as other phenomena.  When these flares or CME occur, they aren’t always aimed at the Earth, but sometimes they are, and they can wreak havoc when they interact with our magnetosphere.

In late-summer of 1859 a massive solar super-storm, commonly known as the Carrington Event (named after the researcher, Richard C. Carrington, who observed and recorded the event), hit Earth’s magnetosphere, causing the largest known geomagnetic storm in documented history.  These geomagnetic storms produce magnificent auroral displays, but they also act, essentially, as giant, prolonged electromagnetic pulses, which are capable of interrupting or destroying electrical/electronic equipment.

Fortunately for our civilization at the time, electrical appliances weren’t in widespread use, and as a result, only a few telegraph services experienced a temporary disruption.  A similar geomagnetic storm today would decimate our technologically dependent culture, rendering all computers, cell phones (and telephones for that matter) and vehicles useless, at least temporarily if not permanently.

But don’t worry; even though some researchers believe we’re overdue for a massive solar super-storm, NASA is officially not worried.

Though massive electronic failures aren’t the only impact these solar storms can have on us.  In April of 2012, I reported on Dr. Michael Persinger’s God Helmet, wherein I illustrated the effect subtle electromagnetic fields can have on the human brain.

Persinger created his God Helmet (actually called the Koren Helmet) in the early 1980’s in cooperation with his colleague Stanley Koren, after whom the device was named.  The pair created the device to assist in experimental research into several hypotheses about brain function, such as Vectorial Hemisphericity Hypothesis.  Well into their research, the team found that subject’s who wore the helmet tended to have pointed spiritual experiences.

The effects of the God Helmet ranged from feeling like they were in the presence of God, to seeing angels and auras and to feeling a nondescript presence in the room.  Not everyone who wears the helmet has a spiritual experience.  Some, like Dr. Richard Dawkins, who tried on the helmet for an appearance on the BBC special Horizons, described only a feeling of slight dizziness.[2]

In my previous article, I theorized that the effect observed in the case of the God Helmet, may also be experienced in certain locations around the globe where strange and unexplained electromagnetic energies are said to be present.  Locations such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, or Machu Picchu in Peru may generate or inherently contain subtle electromagnetic energies that might affect the human brain in the same way as the God Helmet.  If true, this might explain at least some of the many spiritual, religious and even ghostly experiences reported at such locations.

It may even explain ghostly phenomena in other areas.  Some paranormal researchers claim that locations rich in limestone tend to be more haunted than other locations.  Limestone can react with flowing water, within and underneath it, to produce subtle electromagnetic fields.  If the God Helmet effect can be demonstrated to be real, it may provide a breakthrough in paranormal research.

But what if the increased solar activity we’re currently experiencing, activity that is supposed to increase over the coming months, and which is known to cause electromagnetic storms within Earth’s atmosphere, has a similar effect on the human brain?  Will we see an increase in reports of paranormal activity in step with the increase of solar activity, and in turn the increase of electromagnetic energy?

The notion that ghostly experiences are the effect of our brains interpreting or reacting to environmental energies is actually one that’s been around for a while.  Some researchers, myself included, believe that much of the reported haunting activity around the world is a form of psychic projection by the experiencer.  Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that ghostly phenomenon is the projection of electromagnetic patterns acting on the limbic system, causing false perceptions in the external world.  This idea cannot hope to explain the totality of paranormal experience, but it might serve to ground the search for proof of the paranormal into the realm of science.

A charming and compelling book; Fractured Spirits, A Haunting at the Peoria State Hospital by Sylvia Shults is a collection of ghost stories centered around the now defunct insane asylum in Bartonville, Illinois.  More than that, it’s a wonderful guided tour of the history and haunting of what was once the pinnacle of mental health care in the United States.

Shults, a long time paranormal investigator herself, and an accomplished author, pulls the reader in with a well researched telling of the laudable history of the hospital, which was, for a time, a small village of doctors, nurses and patients suffering from all manner of mental health issues.  Led by Dr. George Zeller, the Peoria State Hospital was revolutionary in its approach to caring for the insane, a field that used to simply lock people away, creating an environment that was ripe for abuse and violence.  Shults skilfully illustrates the sanctuary that was called an asylum, a place that contrasted the typical idea of an insane asylum, where patients were treated with dignity and compassion.

Shults characterises herself as a die-hard sceptic, but her love of the paranormal shines through in her telling of the many ghostly stories shared with her (and the reader) by locals, other paranormal investigators and ghost hunters, and general curiosity seekers over the years.

To my personal chagrin, Shults clearly buys into the idea that ghosts are the product of an afterlife, many times speculating on the identity and history of certain characters that are thought to haunt the many buildings and cemeteries that make up the hospital.  Much as I’d enjoy it this is neither the time nor the place to start such a theological discussion, however.

For the casual reader, Fractured Spirits is just enough to whet the appetite, and I’m not too proud to admit that a few of the featured stories gave me goose bumps.  In addition to the rich history and the anecdotal evidence, Shults also offers a multimedia experience in the accompanying website, where you can find many of the EVP’s, photographs and videos mentioned in the book.  A wonderful enhancement to the book, the webpage serves to draw the reader into the story, giving them a genuine experience of the haunting of the asylum.

Perhaps the only thing that exceeds Shults’ knowledge of the hospital, its history and its haunting is her passion for the preservation of the remaining grounds, and her interest in promoting the site for further paranormal investigation.  The site has hosted hundreds of fright-seekers, investigators and the generally curious through both planned events and independent (and often illegal) excursions into the darkness over the years.  The reputations of the Bowen Building and the Pollack Hospital (a former tuberculosis ward) have travelled around the world and the Peoria State Hospital is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in North America.

Whatever your particular bent regarding the nature of ghosts, Fractured Spirits is a journey worth taking, and I give it four out of five stars.

For those curious, you can get more information and experience some of the haunting at the book’s Fan Page: www.facebook.com/fracturedspirits.  You can also interact with the author and get information on her other titles via www.sylviashults.com.

Sylvia Shults. Fractured Spirits, A Haunting at the Peoria State Hospital. Dark Continents Publishing. ISBN-10 0984893113

Canadian culture is defined along the terms of our modern society, but there’s much more to our identity than our often mocked accent, our maple syrup and our penchant for plaid flannel shirts.

Much of our history is rooted in the traditions of our native, or First Nations population.  A large part of that population is Inuit, whose culture has strong oral traditions and a kinship with the land.

Nunavut, Canada’s largest, northernmost and newest territory (distinct from a province only in the way it derives legal authority), is currently home to some 30,000 Inuit.  In the 1930’s however, and thanks to the Angikuni Mystery, that number is at least 30 people high.

The story, first published in The Danville Bee, a newspaper of the north, and written by reporter Emmett E. Kelleher, broke on November 27, 1930.[1][2]  Is seems the day before, Kelleher had been regaled by the story of a northern trapper named Joe Labelle, who told of an entire village of Inuit that had gone missing.

As Labelle tells it, he attended the village on the shores of Lake Angikuni, a village he frequented in his travels, expecting a warm welcome, but as he approached the group of elk skin tents he had an odd feeling.  The air of the place just gave him “the creeps”.  Upon entering the small shanty town, Labelle was greeted by two starving and emaciated Husky’s, and venturing further, he found a full team of seven dogs that had apparently starved to death.

His calls into the village went unanswered as he began to search for inhabitants.  Entering one hut, he noticed cooking utensils and pots, apparently with food still in them.  Under a large fur he found a rusty rifle, giving him pause because, according to Kelleher, the Inuit of the time valued their rifles over nearly everything, and leaving such a tool behind would be unheard of.

Examining another tent that had been virtually destroyed by wind, he found the skins of several foxes, ruined by rain and mud, accompanied by another rifle.  Rust on the rifles gave him the impression that the village had been deserted some 12 months prior, and judging by the size of the camp, it appeared there had been at least 25 people living there.

His mind reeled trying to understand the mystery; where had they gone?  Had they simply moved on?  Unlikely, with all of the items left behind.  Did they all drown in the nearby lake?  Also unlikely, as there would undoubtedly be bodies to be found.  His next discovery sent chills down his spine.

His thoughts turned to foul play as he stumbled across an Eskimo grave with a cairn built of stones.  One side of the grave had been removed, stone-by-stone and the body was missing.  Labelle couldn’t imagine a reason for desecrating the grave of a loved one, and he was reminded of an old Inuit superstition.

Eskimo’s, of the time and some still today, believe there is an evil spirit that haunts their villages.  Tornrark, who has an “ugly man face with two long tusks sticking up from each side of the nose”, is feared by many Inuit, who wear special charms in the hopes of warding him off.[3]

Labelle stayed in the camp for that afternoon, trying to figure out the mystery.

“There were no signs of any struggle.  Everything looked peaceful.  But the air seemed deadly.”

Following Kelleher’s story in the Bee, the authorities were notified and the RCMP initiated an investigation and search.  No one was ever found, nor were any clues as to the reason for their disappearance.

This story caused quite a stir in the area, but soon succumbed to fleeting attentions and was lost to further curiosity.  Until it was published in Frank Edward’s 1966 book, Stranger Than Science.[4]  Edwards telling of the story, taken directly from the original article in the Bee, rejuvenated the mystery and sparked some amateur investigation into the details.

Inquiries with the RCMP failed to come up with any evidence of the initial search, and the RCMP officially deny that there was one, and even that there ever was a village of that size in the remote area of Angikuni.  Very few records exist regarding Inuit populations in the territories from that period, so it’s nearly impossible to empirically prove that the camp existed, let alone that its inhabitants disappeared.

Suspicions of a supernatural influence at work were put forward not only be Labelle, but also by Whitely Strieber in his 1989 novel Majestic, and by Dean Koontz’s 1983 horror novel Phantoms.  More recently Nigel Blundell and Roger Boar wrote a detailed accounting of the Angikuni Mystery in their 2010 book The World’s Greatest UFO Mysteries, where they add to the growing lore associated to the event.

Many modern tellings of the story have embellished the facts, claiming reports of strange lights in the sky, mass grave robbing and over 1000 people having vanished.  But the original mystery holds a hauntingly simple narrative, and though Labelle and Kelleher refrained from speculating on the fate of the Eskimos at Angikuni, one’s mind does tend to conjure ideas of alien abduction or supernatural mayhem.

We have only Labelle’s first hand accounting of the mystery.  Having been a trapper for over 40 years, Labelle was of a type of man that isn’t known for telling yarns.  Many trappers of the time lived solitary lives, seldom coming into contact with other people outside of these small Inuit villages, and beyond an actual member of the village, Labelle was uniquely qualified to understand the nuances of Inuit life and traditions.

The lack of official records on the search and the village does little to sway the belief of those who identify with the mystery.  Considering the time frame, it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the truth of it, but the notion than an entire village of people could disappear, almost overnight, is a disturbing one to be sure.