Dark Times - Fantasy Matters

 Since November we have had some very dark times - my lovely Mum passed away very unexpectedly and it left a huge void and a lot of shock. Fantasy and sci-fi helped enormously as a way to escape my brain and thoughts, reading and watching - namely the final season of The Expanse (I have since started reading the first book in the series), Merlin...again and season 2 of The Witcher.

 I didn't realise before how important the genres were - I mean they have always been my go to, X-Files has been a near-obsession in the past especially when it first came out, Buffy and a whole host of other great shows, but the actual importance of escapism and creativity with few of the 'real world' issues. Money, politics, celebrity, competition to name a few, are issues in today's society that fuel depression and feelings of inadequacy. In the realm of fantasy, sci-fi and other worlds, values like loyalty and friendship play a far greater role and this, I think gets forgotten. So read your favourite sagas, watch the shows and films if it helps you get through the day...and bugger what anyone else thinks!

Oddly, social media in the form of Twitter and Instagram helped, the people I follow as Moonlit Myths have an intrest in history, crime, high strangeness, paranormal and other fascinating subjects, and although I don't post much, reading through my timeline and looking at their posts makes me feel slightly less alone...so thank you. Facebook however is the last thing I have wanted to look at, and this will continue.

Take care.

The New Jersey Turnpike UFO Sighting.

Just after midnight on the 14th July 2001, droves of motorists including off duty police officer Lt Daniel Tarrant pulled over their cars along the highway at the New Jersey Turnpike and stared in awe towards the sky. A set of orange and yellow lights was sitting in a V-formation over the Arthur Kill Waterway between Staten Island and New Jersey and it was observed for around 15 minutes.

When asked, Air Traffic Control denied any military maneuvers or space operations that could be the lights so many people saw, however the New York Strange Phenomena investigators apparently have FAA radar data that corroborated the event. Still unidentified.

The Real Amityville Horror.

On the 13th November 1974, a well-known and enduring horror story started...in a very real way. A house - 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville - became the scene of a terrible crime, where Ronald J. De Feyo Jr. shot his family dead in their beds - both of his parents were shot twice, and each of his 4 siblings were shot once according to reports. De Feyo is still alive and is imprisoned at Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York serving six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life.

Jay Anson's book 'The Amityville Horror' was written in 1977 following the story of the Lutz family who bought 112 Ocean Ave, it and subsequent films tell of their brief stay of 28 days before leaving due to terrifying paranormal events. Some of their experiences include unexplained cold spots in the house, foul odors, green slime running from walls and Mr Lutz regularly waking at 3.15 in the morning which was the approximate time of the murders, just the tip of the iceberg.

If you haven't read the book or seen the film I recommend it, draw your own conclusions, as in most cases like this, there is conjecture as to the validity of the Lutz family accounts. The infamous house however still stands and has had a few owners since the events of 1974, although it has been renamed as 108 Ocean Avenue...for reasons we may never know.

2006 O'Hare Airport UFO Incident

At approximately 4.15 in the afternoon on 7th November 2006, in broad daylight at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, a large number of witnesses both inside and outside airport grounds, including United Airlines pilots, mechanics and management reported a UFO hovering over gate C-17. They described a metallic, saucer-shaped craft between 6 and 24 feet in diameter which was totally silent. After several minutes it "shot through the clouds at high velocity" leaving a hole in it's wake which closed up shortly afterwards.

To have a sighting described in the same way, by so many witnesses, some of whom were very familiar with the airport and who were professionals in their field is astounding...even more incredible is that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 'declined to investigate' the incident as the UFO didn't show up on radar (even more reason to check it out in my opinion!) and explained it away as weather phenomenon.

NARCAP - The National Aviation Reporting Centre on Anomalous Phenomena published a 155 page report in the incident and called for a government inquiry on the basis that;
"Anytime an airborne object can hover for several minutes over a busy airport but not be registered on radar or be seen visually from the control tower, constitutes a potential threat to flight safety."

Levelland UFO sightings.

The Levelland UFO case is known as one of the most impressive simply due to the large number of witnesses to the same events, although of course it was discounted by the US Airforce and skeptics as 'ball lightening' among other things.

It began on November 2nd and 3rd 1957 at Levelland Texas when two farm workers called the police to report a UFO sighting. Pedro Saucedo and Joe Salaz said they had been driving west of Levelland and had seen a blue flash near the side of the road, their truck's engine died and they told of seeing a rocket shaped object rise up into the air and flew over them. Once it had passed, the truck started up again. This report was dismissed immediately, but then an hour later Jim Wheeler rang to report an egg-shaped object, brightly lit which was about 200 feet long, which was sitting on the road. Similarly his car engine had died and the craft flew off when he got out of his vehicle to approach it, once gone his car kicked back into life.

The accounts kept coming, including;
10.55pm a couple reported a bright light moving across the sky, their car lights and radio failed for a few seconds during the sighting.
Joze Alvarez reported his car dying when he came across a large object on the road, once it had gone the car was fine.
12.05am a student called to report his car struggling and eventually dying before he saw a large egg-shaped object in the road, it flew away and his car came back to life instantly.
12.15 Frank Williams called to report a sighting along with his car cutting out until the object had left.
12.45 Ronald Martin called.
1.15 James Long rang with his report stating the same as those beforehand.

By the end of the night, 15 people had reported incredibly similar accounts, the Sheriff and the Fire Chief also saw unexplainable things of a similar nature.

Apparently, according to ufologists, there were no electrical storms in the area that night as mentioned in Project Blue Book, and the airforce did not interview 9 of the witnesses.
Fascinating stuff!

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levelland_UFO_case
https://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/levelland-ufo.htm

Tuamgraney Woods Manifestation - Ireland

On the 31st October and around Halloween generally, some choose to avoid Tuamgraney Woods in County Clare, it is said that the hollow changes into dense woodland from which one can not escape, and within lurk dark creatures with glowing red eyes.

One tale tells of a young man who decided to ignore the warnings, he entered the woods carrying a large stick when soon a feeling of melancholy and fear came over him, the woods quickly became so dense he could not find the footpath to get out again.
Shortly after this, he saw a large black hound in front of him, with glowing red eyes, it glared at him a while before vanishing, this was followed by a hare, usually a passive  animal, but this one was also menacing, when it disappeared a large, hissing cat was seen, he could feel the threat and anger in the beast and he turned to run. However, the trees were so tightly packed, and the ground so uneven that he could not flee, he simply stumbled headlong into the branches. As it started to grow dark, the man appeared in a clearing where he saw an imposing black ram with the same glaring red eyes, and a cowering deer which was clearly near death following an attack. He became emboldened now, and attacked the ram with his stick, his blows went straight through the ghostly beast, but it in turn knocked him to the ground. When he awoke, the woodland had returned to normal, the trees were easy to navigate and the feeling of fear was gone...but he felt the physical pain of the struggle with the ram.

On telling this tale afterwards at home to his family, they said that others too had this experience, and Tuamgraney Woods were definitely best avoided at Halloween.


Sources: www.yourirish.com www.paranormaldatabase.com

On this day in 1857 - The Spirits Book.

On this day - April 18th in 1857 - the famous book, regarded as the most important in the spiritist movement was published, The Spirits Book by Allan Kardec.

It is composed mainly of a collection of questions about the origin of spirits, what the afterlife entails, the concepts of good and evil and ultimately the purpose of life. The answers were provided by a group of spirits who called themselves 'The Spirit of Truth' and he communicated with them in many sessions during the 1850's.

It contains many concepts that we still grapple with today, and is still available (on Amazon would you believe it?! See link below) including do spirits pre-exist and survive physical matter, are there good and evil spirits, reincarnation and guardian 'angels'. Fascinating stuff, and groundbreaking especially for the time.

Ludlow Castle and the ghost of Marion de la Bruyere.

Ludlow Castle is a stunning and imposing ruin that sits high on a perfect vantage point overlooking the River Teme. It is thought to have been founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman Conquest and is one of the most impressive Medieval castles in England as well as being one of the first stone castles built here.

It is a very popular tourist destination being open for most of the year, it plays host to several events in the town including Ludlow's famous food festivals and it's Medieval Fayre each November. However for those of us with an interest in the darker side of things, Ludlow Castle also has it's fair share of haunting stories, the most famous being that of Marion de la Bruyere - a favourite tale to school children in the area who were all taught it...me included as it is my home town.

She dates right back to the 12th century when she was resident in the castle, at the time there were some soldiers imprisoned there from the enemy's side, one of these was Arnold de Lys with whom she fell in love. Following his exit from the castle they continued their affair in secret as he was on the side of the enemy, she would lower a rope from the battlements for him to climb and their visits continued. However one night he purposefully left the rope hanging down so it was available to his comrades who entered the castle and murdered many of it's inhabitants.

Marion was so distraught by his betrayal she grabbed his sword and killed him with it, then overcome by grief and guilt she threw herself from the top of Pendover Tower and fell to her death.

There have been since - right up to the present day - reports of her ghost at dusk. Some say it is seen reenacting her fall to death, screams have been heard and others recount that they have seen the ghost wandering at the base of the tower, whichever way, she still seems to be present in the ruins after all this time.

Ludlow Castle at dusk.

Haunting of Hill House

Wow...we finished watching it a couple of days ago and my goodness it was good. A gripping, believable horror that completely enchanted us. I'm not a fan of the blood and guts type horror films, I don't want to see people suspended on hooks or having their fingernails pulled out, I like to exercise my mind, and this programme certainly did that! Each episode left me wanting more...hence the almost binge-watching that followed.

Everything from the writing that transformed a classic novel into a modern day setting, together with the scene settings, atmosphere, sound and lighting made this an absolute winner...I may need to watch it again if only to spot all the ghosts I missed (which add to the almost subliminal 'did I just see that' feeling) first time round.

Watch it, I recommend it!

Newspaper snippet

I just came across a little snippet I cut out of a UK newspaper last year (I think) about people's top 10 favourite spooky phenomena, thinking about writing about them all in due course although a couple of them - the origins of Stonehenge especially - are so vast a topic that I wouldn't know where to start, so many opinions, conflicting arguments etc, but fascinating nonetheless. They run as follows:

10 - Hampton Court ghosts, Surrey
9 - Highgate vampire, north London
8 - Devil's footprints, Devon
7 - Rendlesham Forest UFO, Suffolk
6 - Agatha Christie's 'missing 11 days', Harrogate, Yorkshire
5 - Suicidal Dogs at Overtoun Bridge, West Dunbartonshire
4 - Enfield Haunting, north London
3 - Beast of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
2 - Origins of Stonehenge, Wiltshire
1 - Loch Ness Monster, Scottish Highlands

Is your favourite there? 

The Buckhurst Hill Shuck, Essex.

One of the most recent sightings of this spectral black dog was in 1989. A small group of teenagers were walking through a local graveyard one night when a large hound appeared and scared them, shortly after this, the beast leaped the churchyard wall and 'landed' on the bonnet of a passing car, much to the driver's shock.

Thoughts on Paranormal Perceptions.

The world of the paranormal conjures many feelings in us, curiosity, fascination, amazement, but more often than not it is fear, and this is usually a fear of the unknown, mixed in with influences of the movies and horror stories.

There are many positive, even happy experiences within the realm of things classed as paranormal. To see a loved one in a dream, to catch a glimpse of a departed pet in the corner of your eye or small a waft of scent someone used to wear. But positive experiences often have to be hunted out from behind the easier to believe and more ‘interesting’ scary accounts.

As with many things in life, especially with a subject as diverse and personal as paranormal experiences, we are often told only the negative, scary, unsettling things. Due to the nature of paranormal happenings there is usually a factor to expand upon for effect - to set the scene, such as things happening in the dark of night or in an old, cold, damp building.

Tales of ghosts and spirits were often used as tools to keep people away from certain places or to deter children from being naughty. These almost ingrained feelings are naturally passed down to each generation - the supernatural is something scary and unpredictable and must therefore be feared. Add to this the more recent influence of Hollywood. Stories such as the Amityville Horror or The Blair Witch Project, based on ‘true’ events have been transformed into blockbuster movies by artistic licence leaving scores of people hypersensitive to strange happenings or the slightest bump in the night. This kind of movie mania isn’t just restricted to films of this type of course, a good example is the fear that 'Jaws' has struck into the hearts of those who have seen it for example. Sadly as a consequence an irrational fear of sharks the world over resulted, animals persecuted due to a horror story and a very effective theme tune.

It is a natural reaction of self-preservation of course, to fear that which we are told to be afraid of, and feelings of fear should not be ignored, but there has to be some rationality too. Fear of most things can be overcome or at least eased by learning – knowledge really is power. Research and information is the best defense against feelings of fear getting out of control. The paranormal is a vast and varied area of experience, it cannot all be frightening. By looking up positive tales of protector spirits, helpful entities and friendly ghosts for example, one can realise that nothing is all bad, and that there is so much to be gained from thinking about the paranormal in a different way.
For those who have had paranormal experiences, they may well be unsettling or confusing, but are they to be feared? Some undoubtedly will be yes, and fear is an instinct that is within us for a reason, but the paranormal as a whole need not be tarred with the same brush. Culture, media and these days social media has an undeniable impact on every aspect of our lives, but how you react to a deeply personal experience is your business and nobody else's.
Just my thoughts!

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The Hairy Hands of Dartmoor Legend.

The ‘Hairy Hands’ are a unique legend to Dartmoor in England, and to quite a specific area at that. Only dating from the 1920’s, the stretch of road between Postbridge and the Two Bridges area has been the scene of a number of unexplainable accidents involving motor vehicles and people of authority in the majority of cases.

The area of the moors that the hairy hands manifest at is very ancient, it was a densely populated spot during prehistoric times and theories have suggested that the legend comes from elemental forces that have lingered at the site since then. Spirits, myths and superstitions are linked to many areas of Dartmoor, but not many are blamed for so many deaths and accidents, especially in such recent, modern day times.

One of the most well-known reports is of a Doctor who was riding his motorcycle with sidecar, the vehicle crashed and he was killed at the scene, however his two sons travelling in the sidecar survived, they gave an account that the vehicle was forced from the road by a pair of hairy hands that took control of the handlebars, resulting in the accident. Shortly afterwards, a similar thing happened to an Army officer, he survived his accident but reported the same thing.

Some less severe, but equally inexplicable events were to follow some years later. A couple were sleeping in their caravan near the stretch of road, the woman awoke to see a hairy hand clawing at the window, shocked, she made the sign of the cross and said it simply disappeared. Also a doctor’s car stopped dead on the road at the same spot with no apparent mechanical problems, he was not hurt, but was puzzled by the legend. Yet another doctor survived an incident in 1979 when his car was forced into a ditch by a ‘powerful force’ that took over control of the vehicle.

Another recent occurrence involved a young man in the early 1960’s. He was travelling from Plymouth to Chagford but did not reach his destination. He was found dead underneath his upturned car on the same stretch of road. The car and his body were both examined and no conclusion could be drawn for the cause of death or the accident.

Many people travelling through the area, either on foot, cycling or in a vehicle have told of a sense of malaise or even fear, even if they did not previously know of the hairy hands legend. This could simply be due to the barren, desolate nature of the moors, especially at certain times of year, or maybe there is more to the eerie history relating to it. A Bronze Age burial kist can still be seen at the site today giving a link back to those who once lived there.

There do not seem to be any very recent accounts of the hairy hands causing more trouble along the road from Postbridge to Two Bridges, maybe they have stopped manifesting, or perhaps people are less keen to report incidents due to the fear of ridicule. Either way, no news is good news, but caution should probably be observed.

Weekly round up of the strange - check this out.

Every weekend on the Myth or Maxim blog there is a post featuring the Myth or Maxim Chronicle which is a round up of the week's tweets, news and stories from around the world, it makes for really good reading with links back to the original poster's page.

This week featured a Paul Walker conspiracy, strange sounds from the skies and UFO stories and is well worth checking out...

Read it HERE along with other issues.

Fortean evening ahead.

Tonight is Fortean Times night in my house, it arrived yesterday, and I should have time to read it through later, always fascinating!