Tag Archives: ghosts

The Coldness of Ghosts

A sudden drop in temperature is often associated with hauntings. The question is why? We also look at Mary King’s Close.

Ghostly Force Fields

How come ghosts are associated with high EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies)? Do the EMFs provide the “ghosts” or do the ghosts cause higher EMFs? Let’s investigate…

Poems & Writings for the Dark Season

A selection of poems and excerpts for Halloween and the dark Gothic season that falls afterwards along with website and YouTube channel recommendations

Ghosts and Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious

Whilst I was ferreting about in a graveyard testing Ghost-hunting apps on my phone last week, one of the apps mentioned that ghosts may be part of Carl Jung’s “Collective Unconscious”. So… who was Carl Jung, and what had he got to say about ghosts? Read on to find out. Carl Jung This fellow wasContinue reading “Ghosts and Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious”

Testing Ghost-Hunting Apps

Last time I posted, I covered old-fashioned and modern tools that paranormal investigators use when visiting supposedly haunted locations. As I said I would, I have trialled a few iPhone apps that claim to detect presences and enable the layperson to communicate with entities from the “other side.” To start with I used the appsContinue reading “Testing Ghost-Hunting Apps”

Analog and Digital Ghost Hunting

Comparing old-fashioned and modern methods of capturing spirit phenomena. While the Spiritualism movement was at its peak in the 19th century and early 20th, mediums and other folks looking to contact the dead or otherwise prove the existence of ghosts used a few different tools: Spirit boards or Ouija boards Originally sold as a typeContinue reading “Analog and Digital Ghost Hunting”

Adventures in Automatic Writing

otherwise known as Psychography Automatic writing is claimed to be a method of communicating with spirits, or the subconscious, using writing implements and often a trance state. The belief is that spirits take control of the medium’s writing-hand to put words and marks on paper, sometimes in a foreign language or in a strange alphabet.Continue reading “Adventures in Automatic Writing”

Fireships and Ghostlights

Last week we covered some different versions of will-o-the-wisps from various corners of the Earth, some well-known, others almost unheard of (by those in the Western world, that is). What follows are some extra ghostly oojamaflicks that didn’t make it into that post, including a phantom fireship. The Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs Otherwise calledContinue reading “Fireships and Ghostlights”

Ignes Fatui Around the World

Latin – English translation: “Foolish Flames.” Known in the UK as hinkypunks, friar’s lanterns, or jack-o-lanterns, ignes fatui or ghostlights / will-o-the-wisps appear in certain areas and are believed to lead travellers astray in folklore (or, sometimes, to show them the correct route to take if they are already lost). Last week’s post covered theContinue reading “Ignes Fatui Around the World”

Shedding a light on Ghostlights

Atmospheric ghostlights (will-o-the-wisps or hinkypunks, to use some older terms) are strange lights that appear in the air / sky at a distance (even close to the ground) without an exact logical explanation for their existence. We’ve all probably heard folktales or stories concerning distant lights in swamps or marshes that lure unwary travellers intoContinue reading “Shedding a light on Ghostlights”

Serendipitous Ghost Photography

Last week I blathered on about photographic methods for faking images of ghosts. This time we will be taking a look at how ghosts appear in photographs by chance. Accidental spirit photography usually falls into two categories: orbs and faint figures (often consisting of faces or head-and-upper body forms, though there are exceptions.) Orbs: TheseContinue reading “Serendipitous Ghost Photography”

Ghost Photography Techniques, Past and Present

In the late 19th century, during the advent of photography, the way to “photograph ghosts” was stumbled upon accidentally through the usage of long exposure. Sir David Brewster decided this method could be utilised to create deliberate ghostly photographs in 1856, prompting the London Stereoscopic Company to make a series of images known as TheContinue reading “Ghost Photography Techniques, Past and Present”

Who was Saint Eridmus?

In the present day, not many people know who Saint Eridmus was and what he did to become revered, let alone why the Church of St Eridmus bears his name. During the time in which the second book of the Nighthunter is set, there are no such things as wizards. They were all wiped outContinue reading “Who was Saint Eridmus?”

Conversing with the Dead

The term “seance” comes from the French word meaning “session,” (from Old French seoir, meaning “to sit”). These days, practically everyone knows a seance involves meeting with a group of like-minded people (or curious sceptics) in a dimly-lit or darkened room to try to communicate with the deceased or other denizens from the “spirit world.”Continue reading “Conversing with the Dead”

The Psyche Technicians

In the grounds of Sunnyside orphanage in Corvin village, Dal-Rhiatah, is a separate building normally cordoned off to the general public — that is, apart from the adults that work there and eleven-year-olds. The building, colloquially known as “The Doctor’s Office”, is a laboratory where the children of Dal-Rhiatah take the Test around their eleventhContinue reading “The Psyche Technicians”

What and Where is Coven?

No one in the village of Corvin, let alone in the continent of Dal-Rhiatah, knows precisely where Coven is or even of its existence, but it is sometimes briefly alluded to in ancient texts and oral storytelling in more rural parts of that country. Located somewhere in the misty, Ghost-ridden Barren Plains, Coven is aContinue reading “What and Where is Coven?”

Who and What is Reed?

Reed is the longstanding nickname of one of the eldest boys in the shanty town of Coven. Four or five years older than Toby and Elka, he is the main authority figure when Noran is elsewhere or otherwise busy. Whenever bands of children are sent out from Coven to patrol its perimeter and scrounge forContinue reading “Who and What is Reed?”

Who and What is Arnie?

In Book Two of The Nighthunter series, Arnie (or Arnauld Wornovik) is a bereft twin and socially awkward young teenager who prefers the company of Ghosts to living humans — or at least, he thinks he does. His penchant for hanging out in graveyards and trying to break into buildings that were previously Haunted, amongstContinue reading “Who and What is Arnie?”

A Little More About Ghostmerchants

I touched upon what a ghostmerchant does and the role of that profession towards the end of this post in my blog marathon about magical objects and beliefs in folklore. In the second book of The Nighthunter series, the current ghostmerchant of Corvin is a dull and unassuming-looking man named Mr Brosban. His main jobContinue reading “A Little More About Ghostmerchants”

Who and What is Toby Wyverg?

This introverted and thoughtful young lad is the younger brother of Elka Wyverg, a girl who suffers from the ability to summon different kinds of Ghosts whenever she feels strong emotions. Elka is a ghostbait child, confirmed by the Test all children in Dal-Rhiatah have to undertake in their eleventh year. We will meet TobyContinue reading “Who and What is Toby Wyverg?”

The Art of Smudging

Amulets & Talismans Part XVII Smudging was practiced by many different peoples and cultures, including the Native Americans, and is still utilised by some tribes today (e.g. the Lakota) in ceremonial, purifying rituals. The smoke-cleansing aspect of it is used today by modern witches and feng shui experts. But what is it, and how doesContinue reading “The Art of Smudging”

The Chaldeans and their Magic Circles

Part XVI of Amulets & Talismans The Chaldeans were an ancient race who migrated from the Levant into Assyrian lands in 940 – 855 BC, and are famous for their contributions to writing, mathematics, and astronomy. They were the first to have a seven-day week and introduced the concept of there being 60 seconds inContinue reading “The Chaldeans and their Magic Circles”

Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone

Part XIV of Amulets & Talismans Babylon had special boundary stones (or “kudurru” stones in Akkadian, a language used in ancient Mesopotamia). These stones were seen as sacred and magical. Kudurrus were a stone record of gifts (kind of like a receipt) especially for such things as land grants given to someone by the King.Continue reading “Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone”

All About Ankhs, Horus’s Eye, the Nazar… and the Coven Stone?

Part XI of Amulets & Talismans Also known as the Key of the Nile or the Key of Life, or the Crux Ansata in Latin (meaning a “handle-shaped cross”) the Ankh is an object that originates from ancient Egypt. It may have come from the 30th – 29th century BC. An ankh looks similar toContinue reading “All About Ankhs, Horus’s Eye, the Nazar… and the Coven Stone?”

Fingers Crossed & Other Handy Things

Part X of Amulets & Talismans Crossing your fingers for luck, or to prevent “evil luck” has been a common thing in English-speaking regions for centuries — mostly in the UK, the US, and some parts of Scandinavia. Not only that, but it is used discreetly whilst someone is telling a lie or making aContinue reading “Fingers Crossed & Other Handy Things”

Review: Welcome to Meadowbrook by Cassandra L. Thompson

4 out of 5 stars Trigger Warning: This novel contains themes of death, violence, and abuse. There is a trigger index at the back of the book. Welcome to Meadowbrook is a story of stories, beginning with a short poem by the author on how hotels are liminal spaces, which turns out to be importantContinue reading “Review: Welcome to Meadowbrook by Cassandra L. Thompson”

Dead Cats and Lucky Cats

Part VIII of Amulets & Talismans Since at least the 16th-century in England, Scotland, North Europe, and North America, people erecting houses would hide the corpse of a cat (and sometimes other objects such as old shoes, dried dead rats, and witch bottles) in the walls of the building to repel evil spirits and protectContinue reading “Dead Cats and Lucky Cats”

Cambions, Witch Prickers, and what in the nine Hells is a ghostmerchant?

Part IV of Amulets & Talismans In last week’s article on witch marks (and witch’s marks…) I touched on the “witch’s teat” and mentioned about cambions. Here is the lowdown on these entities. The witch’s teat — either some kind of skin tag or a supernumerary nipple — was a perversion of the maternal, andContinue reading “Cambions, Witch Prickers, and what in the nine Hells is a ghostmerchant?”

Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)

Similar to witch bottles, witch balls were hollow vessels, usually fashioned out of glass, that were filled with things to ward off evil spirits, evil spells, bad luck, and of course witches. They were hung in cottage windows in the 1600s and 1700s, especially in East and South Sussex in England, though the custom ofContinue reading “Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)”

Who and What is Elka Wyverg?

Elka is an eleven-year-old ghostbait child living in Corvin, a village or small town in Dal-Riatah, with her younger brother (Toby) and her parents. Dal-Riatah is a continent in the North-West of the Dal-Riatan Empire and its environs, and this country has a curse on it: every child is born either ghostbait (they “Bring” GhostsContinue reading “Who and What is Elka Wyverg?”

A Demonic Possession in the 1980s

Part XIII of The Possession Diaries “The Devil Made Me Do It” court case was the first court case in American history where the defendant tried to claim innocence by saying he was demonically possessed. Arne Cheyenne Johnson somehow managed to make himself the host to a demon that “escaped” during the exorcism of aContinue reading “A Demonic Possession in the 1980s”

The lady behind “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”: Anneliese Michel

The Possession Diaries Part XI In 1976, a German Catholic woman died of malnutrition and dehydration after a series of sixty-seven exorcism rites. Her name was Anna Elisabeth “Anneliese” Michel, born in September 1952. Anneliese and her three sisters were raised by their strictly religious parents, Joseph and Anna. Anneliese went to Mass twice aContinue reading “The lady behind “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”: Anneliese Michel”

The Case of Gottliebin Dittus & the demon Isacaron

Part VIII of the Possession Diaries In 1842, a girl in Mottlingen, Gottliebin Dittus, was possessed by a few different demons along with the ghost of a widow who had murdered two children and buried them in a field. Johann Christoph Blumhardt, a German theologian, penned a book concerning her two-years-long possession, in which he onlyContinue reading “The Case of Gottliebin Dittus & the demon Isacaron”

Vampires According to Calmet

In 1751, an Abbot wrote a treatise on ghosts, vampires, and revenants. Dom Calmet, or the Abbot Antoine Augustin Calmet, wrote the book in two volumes. It was called “Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, Moravia, et al” In it, Calmet described a vampire as a “revenant corpse”Continue reading “Vampires According to Calmet”

The Book of Dom Calmet

The Abbot Antoine Augustin Calmet, a Benedictine monk and Lorraine scholar in the 18th century, published two volumes of a book, “Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits, and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, Moravia, et al.” The book was about extensive investigations into the occult, angels, demons, and other types of spiritual entities. OriginallyContinue reading “The Book of Dom Calmet”

The Possession of Lady Elisabeth de Ranfaing – The Possession Diaries part IV

Mademoiselle de Ranfaing was perhaps the first person to be considered “truly” possessed by something, and her predicament was all seemingly caused by love potions. Her story was investigated and included in the book “Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants of Hungary, Moravia, et al” by an Abbot named AntoineContinue reading “The Possession of Lady Elisabeth de Ranfaing – The Possession Diaries part IV”

The Possession Diaries III: The Loudun Possessions

In 1634, a convent of Ursuline nuns in the French kingdom of Loudun claimed they had been visited and possessed by demons. After an investigation by the Catholic church, a priest named Father Urbain Grandier was accused of summoning the demons and sentenced to be burned to death at the stake. This case “rhymes” withContinue reading “The Possession Diaries III: The Loudun Possessions”

The Possession Diaries Part II: The Aix-en-Provence possessions

Welcome to part two of The Possession Diaries. You can find part one here The Aix-en-Provence possessions were a series of alleged demonic possessions amongst the Ursuline (the Order or Company of Saint Ursula) nuns of Aix-en-Provence, in South France in the year 1611. Father Louis Gaufridi was blamed and accused of causing the possessionsContinue reading “The Possession Diaries Part II: The Aix-en-Provence possessions”

Possession Diaries part I: Martha Brossier

In the Middle Ages, “demonic” possession was often used in society to explain strange or erratic behavior. Exorcism was the usual treatment for “demoniacs” and seemed to provide a bit of alleviation for the suffering of those distressed people. Diabolical, or demonic, possession is the term for when a person’s corporeal form has fallen underContinue reading “Possession Diaries part I: Martha Brossier”