I recently was asked to write the forward for Dan Terry's new book Missouri Shadows and I absolutely loved it. As a fellow researcher it was an honor to help Dan, who crafted a great work.  While looking on amazon, I found that someone had the same idea publishing a glowing review, "Regular Haunted Times contributor Dan Terry has outdone himself with his second ghost book, which features Missouri hauntings statewide." In closing, I just wanted to tell Dan thanks once again.

Tags: Spookstallker Dan Terry Missouri Haunted Times

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Unexpected Guests
By Mark A. Mihalko

Over time, a haunting can loose its power, almost dwindling away to nothing. However, a haunting will sometimes be recharged, especially in areas that possess a high amount of energy. While recharging a haunting is an inexact science, these following factors seem to provide a link. The factors are renovations, aura similarities, electrical fields or medium contact. 
 

As ghost hunters, we would like nothing more than to experience the full force of a haunting, complete with full bodied apparitions, detailed sightings and viable evidence. However, recharging a haunting can also bring forth some unwanted side effects, one being demonic entities and potential possession.
 

Aura similarities usually take place when the spirit inside the location and a person in the house share a similar being and aura. When this happens that spirit may absorb energy from the person, providing a means of growing stronger. This can happen at any time, with any object. Remember that a spirit does not always attach itself to a location; it can attach itself to an item as well. Surely, everyone has seen haunted items on Ebay, don’t laugh, some of these may be real.
 

Large electrical fields provide a great breeding ground for the paranormal. It is a known fact that paranormal activity is higher around electrical fields. The elevated energy field provides a great power source for spirit activity and a calling card for other unexplained activity including UFO sightings. 
 

 Medium contact is one of the most documented ways to interact and recharge a spirit. This contact can be made during a séance or by using an Ouija Board. Unfortunately, using these tools to contact the dead has been known to create many unexpected results and open doorways that are often more powerful then originally hoped for. These dominant and unwanted demonic entities often find their way into this realm after being invited during what was conceived as a harmless act, usually by people dabbling into some form of divination they are unfamiliar with. Playing with Ouija Boards, automatic writing or other necromantic practices are usually the common tools used to open these vortexes, with Ouija Boards and automatic writing being the most familiar. Please note: You will never know exactly what you are contacting when you use these tools. It is quite possible that you could open a doorway that allows a malevolent spirit into this world instead of your original target. Always use caution!
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I am sure that everyone reading this has heard of the Ouija Board, the Parker Brothers game that has caused uproar almost from the day it hit the shelves. From the French and German words for “yes,” oui and ja, this game has brought divination into the mainstream. While some call it good-willed fun, others consider it work of the devil himself.

Precursors to the Ouija Board have been around for centuries, used by ancient oracles to communicate with the dead. Some form of these legends are sprinkled throughout history in many different and diverse cultures from China-to-Greece-to even-Native Americans, where they used these practices to find missing items or to obtain information from the unseen world. Originally developing a huge following during (and after) World War I, when many citizens were caught up in attempting to contact their lost beloved’s, the game found a second life in the 1960’s and 70’s as society started to readily accept occult and supernatural practices. Movies such as The Exorcist and Witchboard also provided a boost to the potential dark side of their being, while casting an even more unfavorable light onto them in religious circles. Even today, Ouija Boards are still at the heart of many debates and their uses, helpful and harmful, continue to be a hot topic amongst ghost hunters.
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One of the lesser known ways of divination that has a potentially dangerous after affect is automatic writing. Automatic writing is the use of the subconscious mind and spirit world to produce messages from the other side. If used properly, this can be a great tool. Many best-selling writers actually claim that they use this when working on novels, letting their mind take them to a higher level of being. Unfortunately, it also has a dark side. The use of automatic writing can also act as a homing beacon for evil, if it is used improperly.
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In the case of both the Ouija Board and automatic writing, when a demon is conjured using these means of contact, it usually extremely difficult to vanquish. As a ghost hunter, you should never attempt to work on an investigation if you even suspect a demonic entity is present. Always contact a demonologist, a priest or someone specifically familiar with dealing with this type of phenomena; their experience will be a valuable asset during the entire ordeal.

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Old Wives-tales or Reality?

            Charleston, SC. is one of the most haunted cities in the United States and their citizens are extremely proud of it. On almost every corner you can see advertisements for a haunted tour of some of their most famous haunts, they have it all, haunted cemeteries, haunted gardens, jails and islands. These haunted establishments and locations also sit in the middle of one of the most historic locations in the world.

            A quick walk through the cobblestone streets can fill even the least interested person full of thoughts and questions when you consider you are walking in the footsteps of our famous forefathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

            There is also a darker side to the history of this beautiful city. Pirates such as Blackbeard (Edward Teach) and Stede Bonnet spent large portions of their lives in this area. It is this darker side of Charleston that seems to come to life.

            When cities are rich with paranormal activity, many superstitions seem to arise and Charleston is no exception. Located in the “Lowcountry” as locals call it, many different legends and tales have been passed down for generations. One such legend is that of the Oogle. Lowcountry legends state that an oogle, a smallish, strange-looking clay figure should be carried around at all times to protect you from any type of ghost or goblin. These oogles are needed because every night when the sun goes down, the streets of the lowcountry fill with ghosts and goblins that come out in search of innocent bystanders without oogles.

            Do they protect you? Legend says yes, for us, only time will tell. If you are going to think about one thing when you are heading into a haunted location on vacation, think about picking up and taking an oogle along. It may be your last line of defense against the unknown. 

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A lone tombstone

Elisabeth

Alone in the heart of this sanctuary

Are you the one?

The maiden we search for

The Green Lady

The legends vary

Drowned in a swamp

Taken by a scorned lover

Satan’s seductress

I am here

Alone

Come to me

Many have seen you walking

Hitchhiking on the lone dirt road

Traveling the downward spiral into the depths of stone

Snap

I take a picture

A beautiful light shines clear

Is that you?

Unveil your vortex

Open my blindness

Let me share your story

Symbols burnt into the earth surround you

Did they succeed?

Summoning you from your slumber

Conjuring your restless spirit

Flirting with an unknown evil

If so, can I enter?

I belong with you

Come to me

Silence

Suddenly I see a figure

Is it you dear?

No

Worse, it is legion

These cloaked figures rise from the ashes

Surrounding me

They want my heart

My soul

My life

They will not succeed

I turn to the lone marker

Your vortex is now visible

I run

Dive into your sanctuary

Everything is clear

My life is full

But, my heart is empty

Time to leave

To Disappear

I no longer fear death

Reality is certain

Fate

Destiny

Time

Can you feel my pain?

The dark ones still surround us

Why do you protect me?

If I survive, will I harbor your secrets?

We will meet again

Soon, the enemies retreat

Escape is possible

I see truth

The tragedy

Thank you

I will share it with the collective

A rainy night

Alone on the porch

Where is he?

Your true love

You venture out, holding hope in your heart

It was that old witch

She had him

There through the wilderness you see her cave

Her lair

You peer inside

You witness that fateful embrace

Bodies entwined

A single tear falls as your heart breaks

Time stands still

Deaths door opens inside the lake

Entering

Satan laughs

The green depths have stained you through the years

Your clothes

Your Skin

But, not your heart

This is your curse

Alone, you walk the road

Searching for answers

An angel to break this spell

Could there be one in the old house

In the witches cave

Anywhere

Let me hold you

Maybe I am the one

I am leaving now

Returning to my world

My domain

My reality

I will miss you

I have to share your story, show these pictures

Proof of your existence

My life lies on a different path

Many lives to touch

Children to mold

I will never forget you

Your lone tombstone

Your vortex

Your touch

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            Although indigenous cultures of the North have passed down, in oral tradition, the legend of the Sasquatch there has not been much more evidence than these eyewitness accounts. In a fortuitous turn of circumstance there may now be supporting evidence for the existence of this creature. Witnesses to the incident in Teslin remarked that they had seen a large human-like bipedal creature run past their rural home. They heard fallen branches snapping and found strange footprints in the area as well. During a visit to one of the sites where there was reported Bigfoot activity the investigating crew of Cryptozoologist’s found what may be hair samples from a yet unidentified species of animal.

            A wildlife geneticist from the University of Alberta agreed to perform analytical testing and compare the hair sample from the Sasquatch sighting area to that of other large animals such as bison and bears, which are abundant in that geographic local. It had been noted that if a Sasquatch had indeed been in the area the DNA sample would probably prove to be a closer match to a primate such as a gorilla rather than to some of the other native animals in the region.

            As it turns out, the hair sample found at the Bigfoot site was analyzed over the period of a week and was found to be a 100% compatible match to bison DNA. Although this may seem to discredit the existence of such a creature it does not explain what witnesses have experienced during their encounters with the Sasquatch nor does it offer any insight on the strange tracks left imprinted in the earth at the site.

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            Having recently heard of the field “Cryptozoology” for the first time, I was unsure of what I would think of this book. Cryptozoology is an interesting topic and after reading Searching the Abyss, I was not only impressed, but also almost compelled to go out and start hunting for lost or new species of animals. The book was well composed and thought out, and obviously a lot of research went into it.

            Mark uses a balanced blend of Myth and Fact to give this field of research a place in science. This book contains well-written and simply explained methods and techniques that anyone could use to become a Cryptozoologist and be confident that their findings and reports would be viable. It is explained in detail what is required in order to survive the skeptics and to keep ones evidence creditable. The approach used in this text was not to convince people that strange animals exist, but to encourage others to keep an open mind that some such life forms may exist, no one can go into this type of research a true believer, some skepticism is required to maintain objectiveness. After all, one cannot find the truth of something if they already believe it is there and refuse to weigh all the evidence discovered fairly.

            If anyone was interested in going into this field of study, I would recommend this book as not just educational reading, but as a on-hand field guide during such investigations. It’s easy reading, simple, and to the point without all of the fancy words that requires a master’s degree to understand.

Title: Searching the Abyss

Author: Mark A. Mihalko

ISBN:

Publish America 2005

16.95

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Things are looking up for me today, even if I am stuck in the middle of nowhere at work. Issue 7 of Haunted Times Magazine is finishing up and I found out that my second book Walking Before Dawn is finally available on Amazon.

Now, if I could just get off this boat and back into the field...

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