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Viewing 73 - 81 out of 102 Blogs.
Now that I've isolated myself from humans and eaten two Hershey's almond chocolate bars, it's possible to begin focusing on writing this thing ...
Women get embarrassed talking about it; men often know it's happening and see no need to talk about it.
You can tell when some women are getting ready to bleed. I didn't used to believe you could. Instead I'd get defensive when men joked about Premenstrual Syndrome. Would use the old feminist retort: PMS really just stands for "Putting up with Men's S---t". In fact at times my eyes would even tear up as I said this (depending on what time of the month it was).
To be fair, I only seem to suffer marked PMS a few days out of the year. One such radical departure from reason, is chronicled in the rantologue below. Anyway, after the blood starts flowing, the emotional angst teeters out, even though the physical symptoms of menstruation hang on for dear life. More info than some of you want to know? OK. Well this is where the story of what happened today starts to kick in ...
Well on this lovely Saturday afternoon I can feel the chemicals trying to settle themselves, wreaking havoc on my mind and body.
Smashed up a mosquito with a magazine this morning and fought back the urge to curl up into a ball and cry from guilt. Usually I just laugh heartily, triumphantly. Have even been known to go back and re-smash the mosquito with a different magazine, elated that there's one less vampire roaming the earth.
About an hour ago my mate came into the kitchen, graciously pulled out a spatula and meekly asked me what I'd like for breakfast. I'm not sure what expression I wore on my face but he'd already started backing away from me before I could respond. His hands were stretched behind him like a man with an escape plan. Eggs, bacon and bread were already sitting on the counter. I glared at the food and felt my head start to throb with pain.
"What could you possible fix me this morning that would compensate for you getting away with murder each month? If just one day out of one month, in any random year of any century you had the privilege of feeling PMS, or - Hell - the force of a full blown perio - "
My mouth took on a life of its own ...
"How would you like to feel emotionally high-jacked as your body prepares to leach out it's life's bl@*d for days on end Mr. Man ? "
(Somewhere during this rant I could feel the tension in my face and knew I was grimacing in some unnatural way. He recoiled.)
"Tell me: what culinary wizardry do you possess that could possibly correct my female - "
"Will your sizzling eggs and bacon, which you KEEP making Saturday after Saturday, relieve my fear that if I sneeze, cough or laugh, my swollen ni*ples might explode, fall off and land at the bottom of my bra ? "
"Can your g*dd^+n magical spatula and eggs and bacon fix all that, Loooover ... ? "
"Remember that time you ... ?"
"I dare you to accuse me of PMSing and blame past problems on it, as usual! I dare you. I dare you to treat me like a kid and tell me I'll be NORMAL again in a couple days after my curse has finally kicked in. I. dare. you. "
The man is no dumby. He knew my questions were NOT his cue to speak. I believe he had done the math, basing the math on solid, historical facts:
Equation #1: Speaking = Round 2
OR
Equation #2: Speaking = Round 2 + WW3
So he stood there staring at me blankly, like a statue in a windstorm. I exhaled, closed my eyes and relaxed my shoulders.
He put the spatula down, walked over to me and got on his knees. He gently touched my stomache. What a man, I thought.
Then he shifted his attention to my lower abdomen (which houses my sore and throbbing uterus). He stared at the area intently, as if focusing on a deep mystery.
Still facing it, he screamed
"Bleed damnit!!"
"God I hope that worked", I moaned.
"Me too", he whispered.
- R
Hi, I'm reposting this blog because I'm not sure any demonologists were around when I posted it. Hoping to get a response! ...
I leave room for the possibility that demons exist. My belief is demonologists and priests probably offer psychological help at times during alleged (or real?) exorcisms, even if there are no actual demons being expelled.
I’ve been through a haunting, like many of you. Have personal evidence that EVP is a reality, like many of you. I just have received no absolute indication (yet?) of the true nature of these entities, like: Are they ghosts, demons, angels, beings from another dimension, etc.?. This blog ends with a question for demonologists.
Was recently told by a demonologist that you must receive a “calling” to become a demonologist, since no one in his or her right mind would take on such a mission otherwise. Then I asked how that makes sense when someone who is mentally ill or emotionally disturbed often pronounces they have a religious calling to include battling demons? God and demons are a common theme in schizophrenia and a few other mental disorders, for example. For that matter, what if the person simply has a huge ego and that is why they feel demonology is their calling from God?
In response I was informed that the candidate can’t just proclaim they have a calling, but must also be recognized as fit by the demonological community. “How does that happen?”, I asked.
I was told that a secret minority of people who apparently have a monopoly on knowledge/experience in the field (litmus test please?) secretively interview the candidates.
That confuses me ... why the lack of checks and balances? ... Why hand over a disproportionate amount of power to a mere few individuals behind a curtain? - people (“experts”?), who, in their grand wisdom may be misguided here or there by their own personal biases; off the mark ... with no outside peers to call them on their misjudgments? Secrecy raises my suspicion, especially where it regards a field that is at once religious and political.
It actually reminds me of another group of “ists”: scientologists.
As a demonologist, do you support or refute this Freemason-like rendition of qualifications a candidate must meet to take on the calling?
Thanks.
- R
Hi, there might not have been any demonologists around the first time I posted this blog. Still hoping to get a response ;) ...
Question for a Demonologist:
What is something that's happened during an exorcism you've witnessed that you feel most people would not be able to handle or adapt to? ... I'm looking here for a very specific example, not general philosophy or a famous case. Confidentiality needn't be breached since you can change the names, etc.
The reason I ask is not voyeuristic: I notice demonologists seem to have a very protective instinct for the public (perhaps with good reason, have no idea). Warnings are often issued about leaving it to the priests and demonologists to deal with dark entities because its said most people aren't strong enough to handle these entities. Seems such a strong, open-ended warning deserves to be backed up by at least one detailed personal example.
If I accept there might be demons (and I do), then I can also accept it's possible it could take a certain je ne sais quoi to tolerate sharing space/time with the evil beings.
I've seen many alleged possessions on videotape and frankly, it looks like these people have nothing more than both shallow and deep psychological problems. Maybe a need to act out for some emotional reason. If something in the room were to move or the person levitated (which I haven't seen on these tapes), then it still might be chalked up to telekinesis, not possession, IMO. This would of course assume the movements weren't staged LOL.
For me, the 'Anneliese Michel' case merely points to a girl with untreated TLE (which can mimick psychosis or feigned possession, and include violent convulsions); a girl dying of starvation and denied medical help by priests and a pathologically religiously superstitious mother, and parents who may or may not have been physically abusing her. Oh that and plenty of Hollywood spin LOL.
Not looking to be convinced of the reality of demons, just looking for aspects of a case you've taken on that you feel would be intolerable for most of us to handle. Thanks!
- R
Question for a Demonologist:
What is something that;s happened during an exorcism you've witnessed that you feel most people would not be able to handle or adapt to? ... I'm looking here for a very specific example, not general philosophy or a famous case. Confidentiality needn't be breached since you can change the names, etc.
The reason I ask is not voyeuristic: I notice demonologists seem to have a very protective instinct for the public (perhaps with good reason, have no idea). Warnings are often issued about leaving it to the priests and demonologists to deal with dark entities because its said most people aren't strong enough to handle these entities. Seems such a strong, open-ended warning deserves to be backed up by at least one detailed personal example.
If I accept there might be demons (and I do), then I can also accept it's possible it could take a certain je ne sais quoi to tolerate sharing space/time with the evil beings.
I've seen many alleged possessions on videotape and frankly, it looks like these people have nothing more than both shallow and deep psychological problems. Maybe a need to act out for some emotional reason. If something in the room were to move or the person levitated (which I haven't seen on these tapes), then it still might be chalked up to telekinesis, not possession, IMO. This would of course assume the movements weren't staged LOL.
For me, the 'Anneliese Michel' case merely points to a girl with untreated TLE (which can mimick psychosis or feigned possession, and include violent convulsions); a girl dying of starvation and denied medical help by priests and a pathologically religiously superstitious mother, and parents who may or may not have been physically abusing her. Oh that and plenty of Hollywood spin LOL.
Not looking to be convinced of the reality of demons, just looking for aspects of a case you've taken on that you feel would be intolerable for most of us to handle. Thanks!
- R
I leave room for the possibility that demons exist. My belief is demonologists and priests probably offer psychological help at times during alleged (or real?) exorcisms, even if there are no actual demons being expelled.
I’ve been through a haunting, like many of you. Have personal evidence that EVP is a reality, like many of you. I just have received no absolute indication (yet?) of the true nature of these entities, like: Are they ghosts, demons, angels, beings from another dimension, etc.?. This blog ends with a question for demonologists.
Was recently told by a demonologist that you must receive a “calling” to become a demonologist, since no one in his or her right mind would take on such a mission otherwise. Then I asked how that makes sense when someone who is mentally ill or emotionally disturbed often pronounces they have a religious calling to include battling demons? God and demons are a common theme in schizophrenia and a few other mental disorders, for example. For that matter, what if the person simply has a huge ego and that is why they feel demonology is their calling from God?
In response I was informed that the candidate can’t just proclaim they have a calling, but must also be recognized as fit by the demonological community. “How does that happen?”, I asked.
I was told that a secret minority of people who apparently have a monopoly on knowledge/experience in the field (litmus test please?) secretively interview the candidates.
That confuses me ... why the lack of checks and balances? ... Why hand over a disproportionate amount of power to a mere few individuals behind a curtain? - people (“experts”?), who, in their grand wisdom may be misguided here or there by their own personal biases; off the mark ... with no outside peers to call them on their misjudgments? Secrecy raises my suspicion, especially where it regards a field that is at once religious and political.
It actually reminds me of another group of “ists”: scientologists.
As a demonologist, do you support or refute this Freemason-like rendition of qualifications a candidate must meet to take on the calling?
Thanks.
- R
Decided there's no real need to place a disclaimer here about this blog addressing the Bible. You probably know if you can't stomache it. So I guess you'll either sidestep this to avoid unnecessary angst or maybe read it because you are a masochist or looking for a fist-free brawl. Either way, welcome! ...
This Biblical idea of correcting human disobedience or "sin" by the ceremonial removal of other living, breathing being, is problematic for me:
If today I believe God is telling me that I have been too horrible as a human and the only way to redeem myself in His eyes is to sacrifice a human man or kid or a dog, how does that ruthless, violent act on the innocent even SYMBOLICALLY signify a positive progression in my new and improved humanity and love for creation? ... How can such a paradoxical action correct my mistakes? How am I made a better person through murder or slaughter, on top of all the “sin“ I‘ve already committed? If my life is so screwed up, why wouldn’t a God that demands punishment just kill or punish me further ... surely he can extend my life and give me a terminal illness if it's about correcting disobedience?
... Better yet, how about just forgive me because I am sincere in my remorse? If the God of the Bible can do anything, that should include granting mercy without further cost, I would think.
It also leads to a 'slippery slope': Extreme sacrifices (including human) were considered OK back in the B.C days, but now it’s punishable by murder as a capital crime (killing a kid). Or do it to an animal in your home these days and you may end up with jail time or a fine. Or you may end up in a mental institution. Or you could get on PETA's raw side and they blow up your basement.
The way I see it, the Bible is so overwrought with fear-based dogma (a jealous, wrathful God) and contradictions, that it brings the book’s basic message and its many components, into question. It then appears to be the book, not the readers, that is problematic. Evidence of this problem can be seen by the many sects created and the frequent and sundry battles (verbal and bloody) that the resulting cognitive dissonance has resulted in.
The fact that the Bible is not a complete history book and that whole books/chapters have been removed, also brings the overall meaning of its entire contents into serious question.
I think there may be some sort of “guided message” in just about all religious texts. But since the task of locating it is apparently impossible, IMO the next best thing is to take the book with a grain of salt, enjoying the parts that seem constructive, entertaining or that “speak to you” in some way. This could be done with the understanding that one’s personal reaction/interpretation of it shouldn’t be forced onto others as objective “truth“.
For me, the remedy is to listen to God/Universe/Allah/etc. as s/he speaks to me one-on-one (that voice of instinct/conscience within), as a basic guide for living and loving. At times I do end up in a Mosque or Coven or Synagogue and just try and enjoy the sense of community and get a feel for the positive energy that’s around, whatever that Source is called.
- R
Caillech just wrote a cool blog called "Real or Not" which I think raises a couple excellent questions, one of which is, "Isn't it possible that they [people who see or feel something because they expect to], leave an emotional imprint on the [haunted?]location, that could in turn be picked up and experienced by other people?
Irritating by nature, I took the question slightly off course, out of the vicinity of the haunted house, and into the arena of a fairly popular parasomnia (sleep disorder) typically referred to as "Sleep Paralysis", which can include hallucinations and is surprisingly frequent in the general population, to include "normal" people.
Sleep Paralysis, if you're not familiar, is a naturally occurring part of normal sleep. But for quite a few people (including me), the person occasionaly becomes mentally aware of this paralytic state while going into, or coming out of sleep; it usually results in a panicky feeling and often, a sense that someone not-so-cuddly and cute, is sharing your bedroom with you, with a negative agenda. For some people, the state progresses to include hallucinations (or apparent hallucinations?) spanning the 5 senses. Some might say the whole thing may involve a '6th' sense too. Yeah, OK, I'm getting to my point now ...
Soon after this problem started happening to me, I'd see this old lady with wrinkly skin, and a big nose with a wart on it looming over me. A few long, coarse hairs jutted out of the wart in several directions.
Soon after this episode, my partner reported problems with Sleep Paralysis too. He reported seeing an old-warted lady, feeling her hands around his neck. Interestingly, I hadn't yet told him about the "Old Hag" that I had just seen; just that I'd seen someone that didn't seem friendly; a hullucination.
During a lazy web search, I learned that Sleep Paralysis disorder is also known as the "Old Hag" syndrome in the US, because many people (for centuries) have reported seeing a warted old lady sitting on their chests or strangulating them during their state of paralysis.
For me that leads to a question similar to Caillech's: What if someone originally saw a real or imagined "Old Hag" at some point in our history and the story impacted our culture so much that everyone's collective thinking about it made it real (Jungian theory of 'Collective Consciousness'?)? ... or atleast the thought form of it became real from so many people thinking or believing in it??
Could that be similar to what Caillech is postulating ... that maybe it's possible you could have a "haunted" place that started out with someone's fantasy, and due to others' beliefs, created the phenomenon?
By the way, I wonder if the "Old Hag" might have originally been created in the mind of a person as a reaction to the "Salem Witchhunt", or maybe in reaction to some other predominatly female-targeted political or religious campaign that occurred as part of the American cultural experience(?). So many questions.
- R
The fixation I've formed around this topic lately reminds me of that song that gets stuck in your head for the better part of a day. Usually it's one you wouldn't listen to unless you were drunk on a cruise ship.
Although I don't take the Bible too seriously, in part because of it's multitude of contradictions and conflicing statements (sorry if this offends anyone), I still find myself madly curious lately as to what the people who wrote the Bible might have been trying to convey, as it regards what they saw as God's thinking about the "status" of animals.
Just got done reading and reflecting on a Biblical passage concerning the use of the words "animal spirits" (previous blog) and got some really interesting responses/interpretations about it, as it regards whether or not animals are believed to have spirits. And by extension, whether or not there are animal ghosts. Anyhow ...
I have a couple new questions, based on Wade's thoughtful response to that blog (Wade I hope you'll consider replying here):
Wade was basically saying that the Bible seems to be an appeal to human conduct, so it makes sense that it places little or no emphasis on animals (did I paraphrase you right? LOL). That makes a whole ton of sense to me. He also theorized that animals are innocent and so are not in need of "redemption", the way humans are. Have to say that seems right, though I don't know for sure. For example:
Can tell you right now that I barely squeeze out more than a pseudo-sympathetic grunt when I watch human characters dying off in movies these days. But show me someone who so much as lifts a foot to a dog in a scene and my instinct is to jump through the movie screen, into the movie house, past the director, and roll my fists over the actor's face.
If I could accomplish that, my next move would probably be to run off the movie set, drive to McDonald's, go home, then kick back and relax with an ice cold drink in one hand, and a few Chicken McInnocent McAnimal Mcnuggets in the other. Ahhh the hypocrisy of it all. Back to the Bible:
But Wade did recall that there are some Biblical references to animals. One quote he mentioned was: "Man who regards the life of his beast is counted as wise." Now I recall a Biblical event that appears to contradict this animal-kind advice and am thirsty for what others think ...
It's the piece about Jesus driving a legion of demons out of a man and into a bunch of swine, who then dive off a cliff to their deaths. That hits me as pretty harsh, especially if, as the quote above suggests, animals' lives should be "regarded" (and if they are innocent). I wonder why a famous healer wouldn't find it appropriate to simply say "Be Gone You Demons!" and poof, gone. No animal carnage required. Just seems like more reason to speculate that the Bible, in fact, was written by inperfect men (probably not vegans), and should be understood to be tainted by the prejudices of their time.
I tried being a vegetarian, I swear, but it just didn't work. God bless the animals. What do you think??
Just posted a blog that questions whether animal spirits/souls might be responsible for some or all violent hauntings that people think of as demonic (like it could perhaps be a cat ghost scratching someone up, or a dog ghost growling or leaving bite marks on someone, etc). Qualifier: For me this all assumes the entities we are dealing with are definitely ghosts, which I am still on the bench about LOL.
Well, I just got done bouncing back and forth between a couple famous books - the Bible and the Qur'an - randomly reading some passages. A passage came to my attention in the Bible ("New International Version" - 1978 ... not so new, LOL). I found this:
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21
"Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to the dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
Question: In your mind, does this passage sound like it's addressing a possibility of animals being more than food for humans or playtoys? ... might it speak to the possibility of animal ghosts?
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