Since the dawn of civilisation in Japan, there have been spirits and deities known as kami, which became part of the ancient Shinto religion. There are thousands of different types of kami, categorised in different ways.
Category Archives: supernatural
A Month of Ghosts
From August the 12th / 13th until September the 10th this year, it’s Ghost Month or Hungry Ghost Month in China, with the Hungry Ghost Festival on August the 26th / 27th. But what does this all involve, and what led to its customs and traditions?
A Grisly History of Ghouls
One of the earliest appearances of ghouls is in The Arabian Nights, or One Thousand and One Nights, portrayed as dangerous, flesh-eating demons. But how have they changed over time?
Gor Blimey, it’s the Gorbals Vampire and a Writing Update
A rumour circulated in 1954 in Gorbals, Glasgow that a vampire haunted the old Southern Necropolis. It took a group of feisty kids and a newspaper story to defeat it. However, there are still whispers of its existence in the city…
The Haunting of Hannath Hall
On a stormy night in 1957, newspaper journalist Mr A. Wilmot from Peterborough had his car break down close to Hannath Hall in the fens of Cambridgeshire. Unfortunately the couple in the building were suffering from a ghostly infestation…
Dolls and the Paranormal
This week we’re diving into humanoid objects, their bizarre powers, and why humans are so fascinated with them.
A Lost Haunted House
Paranormal enthusiasts will likely have heard of Borley Rectory, one of the most haunted old buildings in Essex, England. However, very little remains of it today. What was its story, and whatever happened to it? Read on to find out.
The Magic of Magpies
The original rhyme for what number of magpies you see and what “results” from that was published in 1780. The rhyme has its roots in ornithomancy, or bird divination (which was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans).
Time Can Be Slippery…
In the middle of Liverpool in the UK, there is a seemingly normal street of shops known as Bold Street. But over the years, people who walked down it noticed time doing peculiar things…
Demons in Reality
It so happens that “demons” are a nickname gifted to certain thought experiments in physics, philosophy, computer science, and other areas. Here are some of them.
ESP, Psychokinesis, and Morphic Resonance
ESP consists of precognition (or retrocausality, where future events affect the present), clairvoyance, and telepathy, though some psychical researchers claim that psychokinesis (the ability to move objects using only the thoughts) is also a form of ESP. Others believe that ESP and PK are just related to one another, with PK being separate from ESP.
Art & The Sleep Demon
Last week we delved into the causes of sleep paralysis, what it is, its influence on literature and folklore, and how it was viewed in history. But how has it been portrayed visually?
The Sleep Demon, part 2
Yesterday we took a look at what sleep paralysis is, its possible causes, and how to cope with it. Now let’s see how sleep paralysis was viewed in history and folklore, and its influence on literature. Because why not?
The Sleep Demon part 1, You Are What You Eat
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I used to suffer from sleep paralysis (or being “hag-ridden”) and I’d do a post about that. So, here it is.
The Stone Tape Theory and What is Inscribed on our Skulls
After hearing about the Stone Tape Theory from the Exploring with Fighters channel on YouTube, I did some delving into what it is and where the theory comes from, along with a theory about primal sound and how particles dance to music. Then I looked a little further inward; if the world can record old emotions, what old things might be recorded in our bones?
The Voices of Joan of Arc
A young French girl claimed to hear messages from God and angels telling her to lead her country to victory over the English. But where did these voices originate from?
The Versailles Incident
A supernatural journey through time by two Edwardian headmistresses
Haunted Stately Piles in the UK
Sounds painful, doesn’t it? Anyhow, this is a list of some of the most ghost-ridden old buildings in the UK.
I’m Owl About Them Owls
After reading Alan Garner’s “The Owl Service” recently I went on to learn about the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd. Then I went on a deep-dive into the folklore surrounding owls…
The Crow King and the Tengu
Whilst I was halfway through writing a book of short stories (still a work in progress) about a particular character, “The Crow King” – a sort of minor bird-god – that I found out about the Tengu, and noticed a bizarre and uncanny resemblance. I thought I’d share my findings and how this serendipity occurred here.
Most Haunted Places in the UK and Its Environs
Some ghostly and historical tidbits about the most haunted locations in the country in which I fester (and places surrounding that).
Nightwalks 