The Myrtles Plantation
Built in 1796 by General David Bradford, this stately old home is said to be haunted be several restless ghosts. Some researchers say as many as ten murders have been committed there, but others, such as Troy Taylor and David Wisehart, have only been able to confirm one murder at Myrtles. (Those two authors provide a very good history of the house in their article, The Legends, Lore & Lies of The Myrtles Plantation). Even they agree, however, that the place is seriously haunted and easily qualifies as one of the "most haunted." These are some of the ghosts that allegedly haunt the house:
* Cleo – a former slave who was allegedly hung on the premises for killing two little girls. (Those murders and even the existence of Cleo are in question.)
* The ghosts of the two murdered children have been seen playing on the veranda.
* William Drew Winter – an attorney who lived at Myrtles from 1860 to 1871. He was shot on the side porch of the house by a stranger. With his life's blood pouring from his body, Winter staggered into the house and began to climb the stairs to the second floor... but didn't make it. He collapsed and died on the 17th step. It is his last dying footsteps that can still be heard on the staircase to this day. (Winter's murder is the only one that has been verified.)
* The ghosts of other slaves allegedly occasionally show up to ask if they can do any chores.
* The grand piano has often been heard to play by itself, repeating one haunting chord.
Now a bed and breakfast, The Myrtles Plantation has opened its doors to guests who often report disturbances in the night. My colleague, Stacey Jones, founder of Central New York Ghost Hunters, reports on her stay there:
"It was a spectacular place to stay, if you keep an open mind. While taking the guided tour, I saw what looked like a heavyset African-American woman wearing an apron walk by the door, on the porch. Thinking it was a worker in period dress, I peeked out and no one was there. We stayed in the children's bedroom, and my best-friend (who was a non-believer at the time) experienced quite a bit of paranormal phenomena. She was held down in the bed and constantly poked all night. She was unable to move or cry out for help. She didn't think the stay was as great as I did. They let you ghost hunt on the grounds whenever you like, but you can't ghost hunt in the main house without an escort. I suggest setting up a video camera in your room and bring a tape recorder to obtain EVP."
The Tower of London
The Tower of London, one of the most famous and well-preserved historical buildings in the world, may also be one of the most haunted. This is due, no doubt, to the scores of executions, murders and tortures that have taken place within its walls over the last 1,000 years. Dozens upon dozens of ghost sightings have been reported in and around the Tower. On one winter day in 1957 at 3 a.m., a guard was disturbed by something striking the top of his guardhouse. When he stepped outside to investigate, he saw a shapeless white figure on top of the tower. It was then realized that on that very same date, February 12, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded in 1554. Perhaps the most well-known ghostly resident of the Tower is the spirit of Ann Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII, who was also beheaded in the Tower in 1536. Her ghost has been spotted on many occasions, sometimes carrying her head, on Tower Green and in the Tower Chapel Royal.
Other ghosts of the Tower include those of Henry VI, Thomas a Becket and Sir Walter Raleigh. One of the most gruesome ghost stories connected with the Tower of London describes death of the Countess of Salisbury. According to one account, "the Countess was sentenced to death in 1541 following her alleged involvement in criminal activities (although it is now widely believed that she was probably innocent). After being sent struggling to the scaffold, she ran from the block and was pursued until she was hacked to death by the axe man." Her execution ceremony has been seen re-enacted by spirits on Tower Green.
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary has become a favorite destination for ghost hunters as well as the public at large since it has been opened to tours. Built in 1829, the imposing Gothic structure was originally designed to hold 250 inmates in solitary confinement. At the height of its use, however, as many as 1,700 prisoners were crammed into the cells. Like many such places of high emotional stress, misery and death, the prison has become haunted.
One of its most famous inmates was none other than Al Capone, was was incarcerated there on illegal weapons possession in 1929. During his stay, it is said that Capone was tormented by the ghost of James Clark, one of the men Capone had murdered in the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre.
Other reported haunting activity includes:
* A shadow-like figure that scoots quickly away when approached.
* A figure that stands in the guard tower.
* An evil cackling reportedly comes from cellblock 12.
* In cellblock 6, another shadowy figure has been seen sliding down the wall.
* Mysterious, ghostly faces are said to appear in cellblock 4.
Unfortunately, not all of these cells are open to the public, even on the tours.
The Queen Mary
This grand old ship is quite haunted, according to the many people who have worked on and visited the craft. Once a celebrated luxury ocean liner, when it ended its sailing days the Queen Mary was purchased by the city of Long Beach, California in 1967 and transformed into a hotel. The most haunted area of the ship is the engine room where a 17-year-old sailor was crushed to death trying to escape a fire. Knocking and banging on the pipes around the door has been heard and recorded by numerous people. In what is now the front desk area of the hotel, visitors have seen the ghost of a "lady in white."
Ghosts of children are said to haunt the ship's pool. The spirit of a young girl, who allegedly broke her neck in an accident at the pool, has been heard asking for her mother or her doll. In the hallway of the pool's changing rooms is an area of unexplained activity. Furniture moves about by itself, people feel the touch of unseen hands and unknown spirits appear. In the front hull of the ship, a specter can sometimes be heard screaming - the pained voice, some believe, of a sailor who was killed when the Queen Mary collided with a smaller ship.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium
The original Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a two-story wooden structure, was opened in 1910, but the larger brick and concrete structure as it stand today was completed in 1926. The hospital was always dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis patients, a disease that was fairly common in the early 20th Century. It is estimated that as many as 63,000 people died as the sanatorium. Those deaths coupled with the reports of severe mistreatment of patients and highly questionable experiments and procedures are ingredients for a haunted location.
Ghost investigators who have ventured into Waverly have reported a host of strange paranormal phenomena, including voices of unknown origin, isolated cold spots and unexplained shadows. Screams have been heard echoing in its now abandoned hallways, and fleeting apparitions have been encountered.
In the article, Those That Linger, by Keith Age, Jay Gravatte and Troy Taylor, you can read more about these investigators' experiences.
The Whaley House
Located in San Diego, California, the Whaley House has earned the title of "the most haunted house in the U.S." Built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley on land that was partially once a cemetery, the house has since been the locus of dozens of ghost sightings. Author deTraci Regula relates her experiences with the house: "Over the years, while dining across the street at the Old Town Mexican Cafe, I became accustomed to noticing that the shutters of the second-story windows [of the Whaley House] would sometimes open while we ate dinner, long after the house was closed for the day. On a recent visit, I could feel the energy in several spots in the house, particularly in the courtroom, where I also smelled the faint scent of a cigar, supposedly Whaley's calling-card. In the hallway, I smelled perfume, initially attributing that to the young woman acting as docent, but some later surreptitious sniffing in her direction as I talked to her about the house revealed her to be scent-free."
Some of the other ghostly encounters include:
* The spirit of a young girl who was accidentally hanged on the property.
* The ghost of Yankee Jim Robinson, a thief who was clubbed to death and who can be heard on the house's stairway where he died, and has sometimes been seen during tours of the old house.
* The red-haired daughter of the Whaley's sometimes appears in such a realistic form; she is sometimes mistaken for a live child.
Famed psychic Sybil Leek claimed to have sensed several spirits there, and renowned ghost hunter Hanz Holzer considered the Whaley to be one of the most reliably haunted structures in the United States.
See an eerie photo from a reader taken inside the Whaley House:
* Whaley House Ghost
And hear an EVP captured there:
* 4. "Violet, yes"
Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is most famous for the ghost of "the Brown Lady," which was captured on film in 1936 in what is considered one of the most authentic ghost pictures ever taken. The Unexplained Site describes one of the first encounters with the spirit: "The first known sighting happened during the 1835 Christmas season. Colonel Loftus, who happened to be visiting for the holidays, was walking to his room late one night when he saw a strange figure ahead of him. As he tried to gain a better look, the figure promptly disappeared. The next week, the Colonel was again came upon the woman. He described her as a noble woman who wore a brown satin dress. Her face seemed to glow, which highlighted her empty eye sockets."
The White House
That's right, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. is not only home to the current President of the United States, it also is home of several former presidents who occasionally decide to make their presences known there, despite the fact that they are dead. President Harrison is said to be heard rummaging around in the attic of the White House, looking for who knows what. President Andrew Jackson is thought to haunt his White House bedroom. And the ghost of First Lady Abigail Adams was seen floating through one of the White House hallways, as if carrying something.
The most frequently sighted presidential ghost has been that of Abraham Lincoln. Eleanor Roosevelt once stated she believed she felt the presence of Lincoln watching her as she worked in the Lincoln bedroom. Also during the Roosevelt administration, a young clerk claimed to have actually seen the ghost of Lincoln sitting on a bed pulling off his boots. On another occasion, while spending a night at the White House during the Roosevelt presidency, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. Answering it, she was confronted with the ghost of Abe Lincoln staring at her from the hallway. Calvin Coolidge's wife reported seeing on several occasions the ghost of Lincoln standing with his hands clasped behind his back, at a window in the Oval Office, staring out in deep contemplation toward the bloody battlefields across the Potomac.
The sorcerers of the subtle regions are the topmost echelon in the
hierarchy of ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.).
Power and Strength of Sorcerers
Spiritual research conducted by the Spiritual Science Research
Foundation (SSRF) shows that the relative spiritual strength of
sorcerers is in the range between 100,000 units to infinity. This is
compared to the relative strength of a common ghost which is 1. This
means that the power of the highest Sorcerer would be almost
comparable to the unmanifest form of God.
How they function
Sorcerers forever work towards their goal of establishing their
supremacy, (i.e. an order of unrighteousness) in all the subtle
regions as well as Earth region by:
• Engaging in a subtle battle with the highest evolved beings from all
the positive regions including the subtle plane known as Satyaloka.
• Using other types of ghosts as slaves.
• By creating social disorder and strife thereby disrupting the social
structure.
Who they target
• They do not bother affecting average human beings in the Earth region.
• They target those already working towards the downfall of humanity.
• They also target Saints and seekers of God who are actively
dedicated to bringing about the era of rekindling Spirituality in
mankind.
How do Sorcerers affect human beings?
Through the environment, they create imbalances in the atmospheric
temperature thereby causing extreme restlessness or manipulate the
Absolute Cosmic elements and thus are able to create floods, tsunamis,
earthquakes, etc.
At a physical level they can cause different types of physical
illnesses and even mutant strains of virus that can cause pandemics.
At a mental level they can put antisocial thoughts in minds of people.
At a spiritual level they actively infuse unrighteousness in society,
even possessing people who make key decisions for the society.
Salient features of Sorcerers
Place of residence : Sorcerers inhabit the regions of Hell from 2nd
region onwards.
Physical features of sorcerers : Due to their immense spiritual energy
they can assume any form be it human or animal form, or create an aura
about them that is similar to that of a Saint.
Mental features of sorcerers : Sorcerers are very cunning, scheming
and secretive. They get any activity done just by concentrating on the
relevant thought during meditation and strive to establish total
control on people in places for furthering their objectives.
Spiritual features of sorcerers
• Sit in meditation for hours and generate immense negative black
spiritual energy through meditation.
• Access the Absolute Fire element: to assimilate black energy through
the medium of various postures (mudraa). The black energy is
transmitted in desired directions with the help of respective postures
(mudraa).
• Skilled in tantra and mantra: They recite the mantras to activate
the centers of black energy in their bodies through the medium of
speech. They are also highly skilled in tantrik rituals. Tantra is the
science of harnessing spiritual energy for worldly purposes.
• Knowledgeable in illusory science: They generate their illusory
forms through meditation.
Remedy:
Only Saints and positive energies above 95% spiritual level can
effectively fight Sorcerers.
Summary:
Intense spiritual practice as per the 5 basic principles of
Spirituality coupled with personality defect removal and eradication
of ego are the tools to access supreme protection from God that
insulates one from the attack of sorcerers of the subtle regions.
Acquiring the Grace of a Guru above 90% spiritual level and through
one's own intense spiritual practice is the assured way of being
insulated from the distress of Sorcerers of the subtle regions.
Why can't most of us remember our past lives?
When a child is born, and the being is brought forth through the
physical doorway into your world, there is free will. And that is like
the very small valve in the heart that shuts off when breathing
through the umbilical and taking in air, it shuts off being able to
communicate with the spirit dimension. Partially it is so it isn't
confusing for the child. There is a necessary part of not remembering
all things. To be in the moment is important-even for a very small child.
Although in the more evolved beings this 'valve' is more open and
cannot be so easily shut off. Those are the wee ones you see that so
easily converse with other beings and may also refer to past existences.
What happens when you die?
When your physical being ceases to exist, there is no death of the
energy that is you. You are part of the light. Then there is a
time—you might call it twilight time. It is without dimension, a time
of great learning, a time when the energy of the entity absorbs the
full impact of the lifetime and learns from it.
How can I move beyond this grief and pain I feel at the loss of a
loved one?
Gentle one, you have had a great deal of sorrow.
Each time there is new sorrow for you to see, it is a time of healing
again.
Do not be afraid to visit old sorrows.
Pain is a wonderful gift to the physical body. Allow it to be.
Embrace it and in time the embrace will make you stronger.
__________________
In the typical "alien abduction," the victim is paralyzed by some unknown force, taken to a small circular room, and then examined and probed by a number of large-eyed, gray skinned, hairless, short creatures. Tissues and cells are sampled and subcutaneous implants are often installed. Special attention is focused on the genitals and rectum. This involuntary examination is often supervised by a larger non-human creature, sometimes described as female. The abductees are then returned to their beds or automobiles and awake with no memories of the encounter. If they notice anything at all, it is usually that some time has mysteriously passed. This abduction story has been described by hundreds of people who have been placed under hypnosis by psychiatrists, psychologists and other therapists. Victims come from all corners of the globe and from every age, gender and race. For every abductee whose recollection has been liberated in therapy, there are many more who remain totally unaware of their routine encounter with aliens. The amnesia induced by aliens is highly effective, but it comes at a price. Horrific memories can eventually emerge in vivid dreams. In fact, many victims recall being told that they will remember the abduction as "just a dream." Even with effective amnesia of the events, as this paper will show, abductees have other symptoms that can betray their unusual experiences. John Mack, M.D., a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School is familiar with these symptoms. His careful documentation of abductees began with his clinical exposure to what is today known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. This collection of symptoms can vary from strange nightmares, in which vignettes of the abduction are remembered, to full-blown and detailed recollections of the entire examination. This delayed recollection of painful memories was first seen in Vietnam veterans who repressed gruesome memories of death and the carnage of war. Abductees differ in that their memories are of personal suffering which, in many circumstances, is ongoing. A helpful treatment for Post-traumatic Stress is the effective release of these pent-up memories through hypnosis. Dr. Mack utilized this technique almost a decade ago when patients began to seek treatment for strange, frightening dreams of big-eyed monsters, involuntary physical examinations and large chunks of forgotten time. Under hypnosis, many different patients recalled similar abduction events in great detail. Dr. Mack's patients were not faking their memories, nor did they want to believe in aliens. These first patients described their experiences long before the media made abduction stories a source of entertainment. Most just wanted relief from the nightmares and some explanation of the odd images that terrified them or made them feel "crazy." Regression therapy for abductees, like Vietnam veterans, provided some relief. With the passing of time, an increasing number of adults were being referred to Dr. Mack by therapists who felt uncomfortable with the stories that were being recalled in therapy. It seemed clear that a growing number of Americans had been periodically abducted and examined by someone or some-"thing," and that it had been going on since their childhood. Robert Bigelow, a pioneer with Dr. Mack, was documenting the abductee phenomenon. He was curious to know exactly who the "typical" victims of this dangerous research were, and why they were chosen. The Roper Organization The American population is vast. With about 350 million people in the last official census, this "melting pot" contains so many races, cultures, ages and economic strata, that it is a major undertaking to find any common denominator with a traditional random sample. When a big company, like Coca-Cola or Proctor and Gamble, decides to market a new product, the company seeks the views of the "average American" and designs its product and marketing strategies to have the widest popular appeal. A random survey is not reliable enough when millions, or billions, of dollars hang on the success of accurately reading the minds of the American populous. That's why large companies often look to The Roper Organization.
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Based in New York City, The Roper Organization spends more time deciding from whom they will solicit opinions than they do asking the questions on their nation wide Limobus(TM) survey. Their demographics go far beyond the random selections based on age and gender. Roper's sample populations contain the precise percentages of each ethnic group, political affiliation and education level as is reflected in the most recent census data. From a relatively small sample, The Roper Organization can determine the preferences of hundreds of millions of American individuals. Also, their data base can often reveal subtle psychological factors that not only tell a marketer not if his product has appeal, but why. The Limobus survey can contain hundreds of questions from a variety of companies. Subjects in their special populations are asked about their laundry, their musical tastes, their food preferences-- all mixed together with no clue as to the purpose or intent of the inquiries. Beginning in 1992, Robert Bigelow, and an anonymous financial partner, formed The Bigelow Holding Company and inserted their own special questions in three separate Limobus surveys to learn both the number and character of alien abductees in America. The Limobus survey questions Since most successful abductions involve amnesia, Bigelow realized that he couldn't just ask subjects if they had been abducted by aliens. Also, since the questions would be asked in person, by an examiner, he doubted that anyone would want to admit to such an inquiry for fear of being labeled "crazy." But Bigelow knew that abductees, even before their memories were released, had certain events that they remembered and were likely to admit. These events were not shared by non-abductees. He worked with abduction therapists to carefully craft a list of "positive indicators" and these questions were intermixed with inquiries about the scent of laundry soap, the preferred sweetness of ketchup and a number of other inquiries in three Limobus surveys. Pre-testing the indicators had assured Bigelow and his team that they could discriminate between true victims of alien abduction and non-abductees with over-active imaginations. Positive responses to specific questions would definitely indicate an abduction had occurred. The test also had built-in questions to detect fraud. For example, a positive response to "Do you remember seeing or hearing the word TRONDANT (a word Bigelow had made up) and knowing it has a special significance to you?" would automatically eliminate the subject from consideration, regardless of other indicators. The surprising results The results of the Roper survey took them by surprise. The report was published and confidentially distributed to every member of The American Psychiatric Association. Thereafter it made its way to clinical psychologists and other therapists dealing with post-traumatic disorders. Roper's representative American sample of about 6000 adults (with a sampling error of 1.4 percent!) showed that one out of every 50 people met the profile of an abductee. This figure suggests that about 33,000,000 individuals had been abducted in America. A closer look at these specific profiles showed that these people were not "average" at all. Who is being abducted? The Roper Organization's previous statistics showed that about one percent of all American adults could be placed into a category they termed "influentials." Influentials were adults, ages 35 to 45, who had higher than average incomes and held positions of political or social authority. They were "trend setters," defining morality and public policy. They were leaders rather than followers. Roper surveys regularly focused on this group for a variety of clients who valued their opinions. The new survey results showed that a surprisingly large number of these "trend setters" seemed to have been abducted. While the details of the abductee profile are best left undefined for the purposes of future diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic syndrome, the Roper analysis showed the following positive responses to be unique:
*
* Do you remember ever seeing a ghost?
* Do you remember feeling as if you left your body?
* Do you remember seeing a UFO?
* Do you remember waking up paralyzed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room?
* Do you remember feeling that you were actually flying through the air although you didn't know how or why?
* Do you remember having seen unusual lights or balls of light in a room without knowing what was causing them?
* Do you remember having seen, either as a child or adult, a terrifying figure-- which might have been a monster, a witch, a devil, or some other evil figure-- in your bedroom or closet or somewhere else?
* Do you remember experiencing a period of time, an hour or more, in which you were lost, but could not remember why or where?
* Do you remember having vivid dreams about UFO?
* Do you remember finding puzzling scars on your body and neither you nor anyone else remembering how you received them or where you got them?
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Certain types of scars or blemishes can follow an abduction.
(Right) A "scoop" in skin, A, appears as a non red depression and is often adjacent to a hard subcutaneous bump, B.(Ruler shows centimeters.)
The conclusions of The Roper Organization
"The Roper Organization's research on behalf of Bigelow Holding Company produced results that were unexpected by Bigelow Holding Company; chiefly because the number of people reporting occurrences of items on the list far exceeded what was anticipated, and also because the answers cut across most demographic subgroups... It is clear that significant numbers of people do report that these unusual events occurred, independent of any factors in the survey that might increase responses." [Copies of the report, Unusual Personal Experiences, may be available through The Roper Organization, 205 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017]
Why are abduction taking place? The report suggested that abductees were selected across gender and ethnic lines, with a larger number than expected falling into the "influential" group. The preference for people with higher education and social awareness may be coincidental, or it may reflect a concerted effort to examine the genetic potentials of these human characteristics. The larger than anticipated number of Americans who fit the abductee profile is difficult to understand. For this figure (33 million) to be true, the frequency of abductions taking place would surely have resulted in more conspicuous activity on the part of the "abductors." We would expect that there would be more witnesses to these abductions. However, if this activity is being conducted by a non-human, superior life form, then its methods of covert action might escape detection. The focus of attention on skin samples and reproductive organs seems to suggest an interest in human anatomy and reproduction. If the examinations are for the benefit of the human species, the methods of involuntary intrusion and the subesequent post-trauamtic stress that many victims report, is suspicious. The effort to produce amnesia is largely successful, as this study has shown. This could support a theory that the abductors have a more comprehensive understanding of our minds than we have of ourselves. It could also indicate a genuine consideration for our well-being, similar to our use of tranquilizers when examining endangered animal species. It could well be that the abductors have a similar mission with our species. Therapy for abductees Abductees generally suffer from both a physical violation (similar to being raped) and psychological isolation that results from being afraid to admit-- even to themselves-- the validity of their abduction memories. This is further complicated by the reality that these events are likely to continue into the future. Dr. Mack and other therapists believe that it is important that therapists do not consider recollections of alien abductions as "crazy." He suggests that successful therapy for victims of this terrifying experience requires that repressed memories be acknowledged and accepted as true, regardless of the personal belief (or disbelief) of their therapists. Patients seem to be able to recover some sense of control over their lives when these disclosures are allowed valid expression.
- is the art of controlling the earth and ground. It is also commonly referred to as Tetrakinesis or Terrakinesis. It's all the same though.
-=Techniques=-
-Tochi Tate-
"Earth Shield." This is a lot like the other elemental shield techniques. Get into a ready stance, and summon ki around your body in a power up. Now start gathering earth energy, make it swirl around inside your ki flame. Keep loading up your ki flame with earth energy until you feel it is fairly strong. Now, send all that energy that is swirling around you to the front of you, and use your mind to make it form something such as a brick wall-type shield. Keep adding earth energy to it, and program it to whatever you want...Just remember that you CANNOT shield from phsyical objects.
-Earth Fuse-
This is a technique that I devised to fuse your ki with the energy of the earth, so that you are more adapted to the energy and can understand it better. To start, get into a comfortable position, like for grounding. Close your eyes, and picture the energy from the earth floating all around you and glowing beneath the surface under you. Now, send some of your ki, in the form of string-type streams down into the earth, connecting the earth with your Dan Tien. Now picture your ki fusing with the earth's energy, and absorbing some of it into your Dan Tien. When it seems to be fairly full, (this part is optional.) perfom a ki flame-type power up, picturing the two energies fusing together all inside of you.
-Earth Punch-
Warning:
Can be dangerous. This is kind of like a Ki Flame punch, although this is designed to feel much harder than a normal punch. You may want to perform an Earth Fuse before doing this, so that you will already be in contact with the Earth's energy. Now, power up as you normally would, but take in earth energy with it. Swirl the earth energy with your own ki. Now, bring you hand back, make a tight fist, and use the earth energy to surround your hand, and picture it making a big rock around your fist, or turning your fist to stone. Send the last of that earth energy into your fist, and take a big step forward and smash your foe with all your might, and picture the stone braking on them.
-Earth blades-
make a fist and then put your fist so you knuckles are faceing the ground.Then put earth engery 1 inch above your knuckels and then slowly visulize a green blade coming out filled with the earths engery.
Harry Houdini
The performer known world wide as Harry Houdini was born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest. Although Houdini often claimed to be born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Houdini actually came to the United States when he was four years old. Houdini's parents were Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss and Cecilia Steiner Weiss. His parents spoke only Yiddish, Hungarian, and German.The family was quite poor so most of the children began to work at an early age. From the age of eight young Ehrich Weiss sold newspapers and worked as a shoe shine boy.
Young Ehrich left home at thirteen and traveled the country for about a year, always sending money home when he could. He joined up with his father in New York City, but his father would die about five years later on October 5, 1892, While in New York he was introduced to the world of big time magic. He was very athletic and won awards inswimming and track. He would use this athletic and swimming talents to great use in his future as an escape artist.
Houdini began performing magic as a teenager first calling himself Eric the Great. He read "Revelations of a Spirit Meduim" by A. Medium, which exposed the tricks of phony psychics. A second book was "The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin," the autobiography of one of the greatest magicians of the day. Influenced by what he read and learned about the internationally known magician Robert Houdin, Ehrich changed his name to Houdini.
In 1894, Houdini met Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner, who was singing and dancing as part of the Floral Sisters at Coney Island. After knowing each other only two weeks they were married in the month of July. Bess worked and traveled with Houdini and helped by singing, dancing, and performing the Metamorphosis exchange which Houdini invented. His fame as an escape artist was worldwide. He invented many illusions and escapes still used today.
Throughout his career Houdini exposed cheats and frauds in the areas of gambling, spiritualism, and psychic frauds. Houdini never believed in spiritualism, but would often pretend to in order to gain entry to seances, etc. Early on he attempted to do a spiritualist act when he was down and out, but found it so distasteful that he stopped and would forever expose those who made such claims.
In the summer of 1926, a few months before he died, Houdini heard about a magician who had sealed himself inside a box and had been lowered into water, where he allegedly stayed for over an hour, submerged, before coming up out of the water and the box, triumphant. Houdini purchased a bronze coffin and had himself locked into it and submerged in a hotel swimming pool for an hour and a half before the coffin was pulled out of the water and opened to reveal a smiling, healthy Houdini. Houdini took the coffin on tour with him in the fall, displaying it in the lobbies of the theaters he played. He jokingly instructed his wife to use the coffin "should anything happen" to him while on tour. It was in that very coffin that Houdini's body was returned to New York for burial.
During a U.S. tour in the fall of 1926, Houdini began to experience severe stomach pain. He refused medical treatment, because that would have meant missing some shows. Houdini was possibly suffering from the onset of appendicitis, and his own stubborn refusal to see a doctor may have spelled his doom. Houdini was tired, and unusually accident-prone. In Albany, NY, a few weeks before his death, his ankle broke as he was being lifted into the Water Torture Cell onstage. In pain, he continued to perform. A few days later, in Canada, he allegedly was punched in the stomach by a university student who was testing Houdini's well-known ability to withstand blows to the body. That punch may or may not have been the cause of Houdini's ruptured appendix; regardless, Houdini collapsed onstage a few days later in Detroit, and was admitted to Grace Hospital, suffering from peritonitis. On Halloween, 1926, with his brother Hardeen at his side, Houdini passed away.
Could Houdini send a message from the "other side?" Houdini and his wife Bess devised a secret message that was to be used to test the validity of any so-called spirit message coming from either of them, should one or the other die.
The message was based on an old vaudeville mindreading routine. The message was, "Rosabelle- answer- tell- pray, answer- look- tell- answer, answer- tell". Bess' wedding band bore the inscription "Rosabelle", the name of the song she sang in her act when they first met. The other words correspond to a secret spelling code used to pass information between a magician and his assistant during a mentalism act. Each word or word pair equals a letter. The word "answer" stood for the letter "B", for example. "Answer, answer" stood for the letter "V". Thus, the Houdinis' secret phrase spelled out the word "BELIEVE".
Bess began the tradition of holding a séance to see whether Houdini could communicate. These séances, of course, provided rich publicity, and Bess was dedicated to promoting the Houdini name. In early 1929, a very ill Bess was approached by "Rev." Arthur Ford. Within weeks, Ford announced that he had successfully delivered the correct message to Houdini's widow. It did not take long for the press to discover that Ford's claim was a hoax, and that Bess had inadvertently revealed the message to several reporters a full year before Ford's claim. The 1936 séance was the last one that Bess conducted.
The Ghost of Drury Lane
The most historic and oldest of all theatres in London, the Theatre Royal stands on the oldest site in the world to have been continually used as a playhouse. The first theatre built in 1663 and burnt in 1672 was the venue for Nell Gwynn;s stage debut. King Charles II took Nell as his mistress after falling in love with her at first sight during a performance in 1665. A new theatre holding 2000 patrons opened in 1674. Through a lack of finance this building quickly showed serious signs of neglect and in 1794 was replaced by a third theatre with a capacity of 3,611, but it too succumbed to fire in 1809. The theatre that stands on the site today was opened in 1812 with money raised in part by Lord Byron and Whitbread and since then has witnessed many notable performances and events. "The Man in Grey", the theatre's famous ghost appears during the day, but never at night, in the auditorium of the theatre. He is dressed in elaborate costume, including a tricorn hat, powdered wig and cloak, and carries a sword. To see him during rehearsal is considered to be good luck. Sometimes appearing during a performance, he's apt to shush patrons rather than scare them, he comes to watch the play from the balcony where he slowly walks from one end to the other only to disappear into the wall. Some believe that this ghost is a man that was murdered in the theatre some 200 years ago, whose skeleton was found in a sealed room backstage with a dagger still wedged in the ribcage.dressed in long riding cloak, boots and three-cornered hat. He is said to haunt the Upper Circle,
Marie Laveau
New Orlean's Voodoo Queen
Born in 1794 in Vieux Carre. her father, Charles Laveau, is said to have been a wealthy white planter and her mother, Darcantel Marguerite, a mulatto with a strain of Indian blood. Marie herself is described as being mulatto, quadroon, and sometimes just as "yellow". She was a tall statuesque woman, with "curling black hair, 'good' features, dark skin that had a distinct reddish cast, and fierce black eyes."
A lovely twenty-five year old Marie was married to a freeman of color, Jacques Paris. The couple was married by the chaplain of the St. Louis Cathedral.
Marie and Jacques had both been raised Roman Catholic and she still practiced it devoutly, attending a daily worship at St. Louis Cathedral.
Following Jacque's death (actually, he was presumed dead after a lengthy disappearance), the Widow Paris, as Marie was then called, lived with another
man named Christophe Glapion. It is doubtful that they were actually married, but Marie bore an incredible fifteen children. One daughter, also named Marie, was in later years, an incredible lookalike that was often mistaken for her mother. This is probably the reason that Marie's magic was believed to be so great that she could appear in two places at once.
In her youth she helped the American wounded at the Battle of New Orleans. As an mark of how high in society she would climb, Marie was one of the few African-Americans invited to attend the funeral of General Jean Humbert, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans. In her later years Marie visited the convicts on death row in the city's jail, bringing them comfort and food. Usually she brought them gumbo -- a traditional New Orleans seafood stew of African origins; it has been suggested she sometimes laced the gumbo with natural medicinal herbs that soothed the convicts' physical and mental pain. Some speculated that at least once, Marie actually drugged the gumbo with a substance which caused the premature death of a prisoner who had a date with the hangman, sparing the victim the trauma of execution.
Marie's main source of fame was sorcery, Black Magic and the paranormal. Prominent politicians would seek her help, sometimes asking her to predict their futures. For a fee, Marie could cast and remove spells. She was reputedly good with love potions and curses, too. But one thing she was particularly skilled at was obtaining secret information about prominent locals.
She obtained her information through an elaborate spy network of servants and slaves in New Orleans who feared the Voodoo Queen. Marie had many clever methods for recruiting new spies. One trick was to secretly place a Voodoo doll near the front door of her victims, usually the house-servants of distinguished New Orleans homes. The victims, upon discovering the Voodoo doll, would be convinced they were being hexed (by some witch other than Marie), and would run to the Voodoo Queen for help. Marie, also referred to by many locals as the "Bosswoman," would offer to dispel the doll's power if in return the victims would agree to spy for her. Marie had once been a hairdresser and knew how the gentry foolishly liked to talk, even about confidential matters. Society women would chat away with Marie the hairdresser as though she were irrelevant, a mere servant. In reality, the aristocrats were feeding Marie vital information which she would use later to her advantage. Men, too, readily succumbed to the beguiling Marie. It is believed by some that Marie Laveau once operated a house of prostitution from her house, Maison Blanche, on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, as a rather prosperous side-business. As she became more powerful, she had her spies listening closely in almost ever prestigious home in the city.
In the later years of her life, Marie Laveau gradually moved away from pure Voodooism. Some of her critics claimed she was in league with the Devil, yet she had once been a devout Catholic, and over time she began to incorporate Roman Catholic elements into her Voodooism. Statues of the Saints, the belief in the Virgin Mary, and Holy Water were now mixed in with the snake, the Zombies, and the gris-gris. Eventually, Marie Laveau would give up on Voodoo altogether and return completely to the Roman Catholic religion.
In 1869, past the age of 70, Marie Laveau was replaced as Voodoo Queen. Her followers had determined Marie had grown too old to be in charge. Marie spent the rest of her life as a devout Roman Catholic and dedicated much time and effort visiting the prisoners in the local jail as an act of charity; she even helped build prayer altars for them in their jail cells, it was said. In 1881, at 87, Marie Leveau died, and was believed to be buried in St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, beside her common law husband, down on Basin Street. Whether this is her grave, or her daughter Marie's is a mystery.
Her grave is visited by the faithful and the curious year-round. Many come to her tomb and place small offerings there, like beans, food or various Voodoo items. Many believers tap three times on the top of the tomb, or make three chalk X's on the face of her stone tomb and ask for a favor. Some believe that Marie Laveau's spirit rises on St. John's Eve, June 23, and holds court over a spectacular Voodoo ritual.
The Bell Witch
Note: A movie based on this haunting is called
"An American Haunting"
It follows the well documented ledgend untill the movie's conclusion, which takes lisence with the known facts.
In 1804 a prosperous farmer, John Bell, bought land and moved his family to the lovely area that is now known as Adams, Tennessee. He became popular, being well off and a substantial land owner. In 1817 he incountered problems with a neighbor, Kate Batts, over the purchase of some slaves which resulted in bad feelings.
While hunting one day in one of his cornfields, he spied an animal the like of which he had never seen. It had the body of a dog, but the head had characteristics of a hare. He took aim and shot, but the animal escaped. When he returned home for supper, curious things started to happen.
The family heard odd noises on the outside walls of their home. Thinking it a mischevious neighbor or a small animal, they rushed out to find . . . nothing. As they retired each night, the dark of the children's room was filled with the sound of rats gnawing their bedposts; the covers were snatched away, the pillows tossed from the bed. When the elder Bells rushed in with candles, there were no rats, only terrified children.
Days passed. Now the sound of faint whispers filled the rooms, at first too quiet to understand. Sometimes the voice sounded like an old woman mumbling, crying and singing humns. At other times, other voices seemed to fill the room.
Some family members were ignored. John's favorite daughter, Betsy, was treated to the worst of the tormenting. Her hair was pulled, she was pinched, and slapped, leaving bright handprints on her face and body that lasted for days.
Becoming desperate, John Bell decided to confide in a friend and neighbor, James Johnston. The Johnstons spent the night and experienced the same ghostly happenings. What or who was this who tormented the family? It was decided that it might be Kate Batts, who had died harboring ill will towards John Bell.
Eventually the voice settled into one recognizable voice that carried on conversations, sang hymns, quoted scripture, and even seemed to develope friendly feelings towards Mrs. Bell. But the "witch" was never seen, only heard.
General Andrew Jackson, who had fought with John Jr. and Jesse Bell in the Battle of New Orleans, learned of the Bell haunting in 1819, gathered up a group of friends, and traveled from Nashville, Tennessee, in a large covered wagon to see what the witch was all about. As the wagon neared the Bell property, suddenly, on a smooth, good road, the wheels refused to turn. The group pushed and pulled, took off all the wheels to check them, but it refused to budge. Finally General Jackson proclaimed "It must be the work of the witch!". At that moment, a disembodied female voice was herd by all to tell Jackson that he and his men could now proceed and "she" would see them later. The wheels now turned and they continued to the Bell Farm. Among Jackson's group was one self-proclaimed "witch tamer". Waving his pistol, he bragged he would kill the witch. He suddenly began shrieking, his body contorting, screaming he was being beaten and stuck with pins. He was released, running from the room as the ghostly voice proclaimed him to be a fraud, and another fraud would be revealed the nextday. The frightened men begged General Jackson to leave, but he refused, wanting to know who the other fraud was.
That night General Jackson and his men made camp in the field next to the house. Their tents were disrupted throughout the night by the men's covers being snatched off, they were slapped by unseen hands and tormented . At daylight they packed up and left, General Jackson saying "I'd rather fignt the British in New Orleans than to have to fight the Bell Witch."
Betsy Bell fell in love with young Joshua Gardener, a young man from a nearby farm. With John and Lucy's blessing, they became engaged. Betsy and Joshua could not go to the river, or to the cave or the field without the spirit following them, taunting. Finally Joshua's patience was worn thin and he broke off the engagment.
After the broken engagement the tormenting abated some although the spirit continued to threaten to kill 'Ol Jack Bell" and continued to torment him, taking his shoes from his feet, and slapping his face.
John Bell suffered a disorder of the nervous system, and experienced seasures. In the winter of 1820, while walking to his pig sty, John Bell was struck down by an illness, possibly a stroke. He lay in bed for several weeks experiencing difficulty speaking and swallowing, until December 19, 1820. When John Bell failed to wake at the usual time, the doctor was summoned. He lay lifeless, a strange odor on his breath. John Jr. went to the medicine cupbord to retreve John's medicine. There he found not John's prescribed medicine, but a strange vial of liquid. Frightened at what might be in the vial, a drop of the liquid was put on the tongue of the family cat which promptly died. The voice of the spectre was jubilent, claming "I gave ol John a big dose of that last night and that fixed him." John Jr. threw the vial in the fireplace where it flashed a large blue flame up the chimney. At John Bell's graveside, the witch began singing joyously a cheerful song about a bottle of brandy until friends and family were forced to leave the service.
After the death of her old enemy, the witch left in 1821, saying she would return in seven years. True to her word she returned to visit John Jr. where she discussed the origon of life, Christianity and the need for spiritual reawakening. She regaled him with prophesies of the Civil War, as well as World Wars I and II, and the great Depression. John Jr. dutifully wrote down the prophesies. When she left, she promised to return in 107 years. According to the decendents, she did not make her appearance in 1935. Or, did she . . .
There is a cave on the Bell property. For many years it has been the site of much paranormal phenomenon. Ghostly lights can be seen, unexplained sounds come from deep within the cave. Strange apparitions are sometimes seen. The current owners have lights strung inside the cave and offer tours for a mere $5. a person. It is a popular attraction in Tennessee near Clarksville. But sometimes the lights in the cave do not light although they may be new bulbs. Don't expect your cameras, flashes or camcorders to work. Many times they don't. And if you do get them to work, look for extra things in your pictures. Usually it's people, or sometimes animals. I've personally seen pictures a friend took of his daughter sitting on a picnic table outside of the cave. Behind her was a black cat , in some pictures walking on the table and in some posing for the camera. Of course, there was definitely not a cat on the table when the picture was taken.
At least . . . not one of this world.
Candle Magic
Candle rituals have been around for centuries. You may remember your first candle ritual when you were 2 years old on your birthday. The candles were lit and you were told to close your eyes, make a wish and blow out the candles. Candle spells are pretty much the same principle. You light the candles, maybe close your eyes while repeating a spell or that which you wish for and visualizing it coming true. It is a combination of the need or desire, and the ability to visualize the outcome. Candle burning spells and rituals are very easy to do and to have success with if they are done correctly and you truly believe. The different colors of candles each have their own symbolism.
Here is a table of the colors and their meanings:
White: truth, purity
Red: love, health, sex, strength
Green: money, luck, fertility
Black: discord, evil, negativity, confusion
Brown: neutrality, uncertainty, hesitation
Pink: love, morality, honour
Purple: power, business progress, ambition
Orange: attraction, stimulation
Greenish Yellow: jealousy, anger, discord
Gray: neutrality, stalemate, negativity
Light Blue: tranquility, patience, health
Dark Blue: depression, changeability
Candle spells can be very easy or complicated. It all depends on how much time you want to put into a ritual. It can be as simple as lighting a green candle and chanting... money money come to me. It can also be very long and complicated lasting several days with the repositioning of the candles each day. The choice is always yours.
The first thing you want to do is get the appropriate color candles for your peticular desire. Then you need to annoint the candle with oil. Olive oil will do fine. You need to rub the candle with the oil from the middle outward to the ends. As you are doing this you need to be thinking of your desired goal. Then sit and meditate on your desire after lighting the candles, then read your spell or chant your appropriate mantra.You don't need some elaborate spell with a bunch of big words or words you don't even know how to pronounce. You can make your own spells or rituals. Think of your desire then make a simple little rhyme that tells about your desire in it. It doesn't even have to rhyme. This is all about will power, the power of positive thinking, and creative visualization.
If you can do these things then you will send those vibrations out into the universe and eventualy they will materialize.
