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Posted by ADMINISTRATOR (Member # 2360) on March 21, 2006 03:33 PM :
Michael discusses many paranormal/psychic experiences in Travels. Have any of you ever had similiar experiences? If so, tell us the story (BUT KEEP IT BRIEF, PLEASE!) If not, does this make you a "disbeliever?"
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Posted by Xistodor (Member # 3561) on March 22, 2006 07:24 AM :
I am in fact "psychic." I have the uncanny ability to know what people say when they don't say it, and to finish thier sentences. It's called observation. It's easy. Yes, I am a disbeliever in the paranormal. That is not to say that people with inhuman power do not exist, because I believe they do. It's where they get their power that concerns me.
Now, as most of you know, I do believe in a greater power out there. When a person uses this greater power, it is actually the greater power moving through them. (btw, I beleive this "greater power" to be God. Not the Force, not magic, and not ghosts) When a person uses this power and claims that it is their own, then the "power" didn't come from The Power and it is... I don't want to use the word "evil" because that would spark debates with me being criticised and beaten up, so I will not use the word "evil" (although that is the word I would use if I could)
So. I do beleive that people can have inhuman power. The debate is where it came from. I do not believe that people are psychic. All prediction takes is an educated guess. I do not believe ghosts exist. I do believe in demons and other monstrosities.
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Posted by Bill-Canada (Member # 2826) on March 22, 2006 11:20 AM :
Admin,
My thoughts are and have been that what is called supernatural is exactly that. Its 'natural' and, because its rare, 'super' when it occurs.
Holding a firm belief in the laws of thermodynamics, i.e., energy can neither be created or destroyed, I believe that, as we are slowly learning, all life energy continues, but at a difference frequency, hence wavelength.
It could be analgous to the wake of the a boat does not reveal the boat, merely its presence in the immediate time reference.
Regarding psychic abilities. I believe that we are all capable of them in varying degrees, but simply have been taught to deny they exist because people who accept the ability are labelled as 'crazy', 'wackos', 'witches', 'loonies', etc. Peer pressure can accomplish what other means cannot!
[ March 22, 2006, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: Bill-Canada ]
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Posted by Petirrojo (Member # 3898) on March 22, 2006 01:46 PM :
I'm definitely a "disbeliever". I'm plain boring.
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on March 23, 2006 03:45 AM :
I am a compulsive disbeliever, infested with Calvinistic genes who has psychic experiences happen to her since childhood.
Meanwhile of course I know those experiences are real.
But it has been hammered into me with such force that what I see is not there and can only be answered by science, (but not yet): that I find myself constantly apologizing for being psychic, highly sensitive and into yoga.
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Posted by Geogrunt2 (Member # 4058) on March 23, 2006 08:58 AM :
Yes I believe there are things yet to be understood and you do have to explore before you make judgements. There are things about our world we are yet to understand and yes to the personal experiences.
I have quite a few.
My wife is the real expert on this topic. She has been working 6 yrs now as a professional psychic, helped in a criminal investigation and has been a part of a ghost investigation organization.
BTW Xistodor, she does do not consider what she can do a power, nor does she feel special or above anybody else. It's referred to as a gift most often and sometimes called a curse. She does good work and helps alot of people.
She wants you to know:
most psychics don't spend alot of time making predictions.
She agrees with you here: She does feel she's tapping into "God" .What is it? .... Universal Energy/Knowlege/Energy?Love/Good/???? what it is it exactly...we don't know.
She helps people to see possiblities and potential--being specific helps with that. Validates the "more going on then we know" bigger picture
The value of a psychic reading depends alot on the client's participation. Vowed skeptics put up walls and can't or won't look for deeper meaning.
You don't get exactly what you want from psychic impressions, you get what you need.
If you read Travels you'd understand how it works--
Crichton gets it.
[ March 23, 2006, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Geogrunt2 ]
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on March 23, 2006 01:53 PM :
Posted by Geo 2:
You don't get exactly what you want from psychic impressions, you get what you need.
That is so true! Thanks for posting that Geo.
I think there is a collective/cosmic subconcious/ energy field that can be tapped into and from which whatever we are ready for in our consciousness emerges.
And in this present day and age more and more people are capable of doing that.
Seems like evolution is starting to give us more glimpses of what is possible.
In older days , we've had a few minds ahead of their days like Nostradamus or Hildegard von Bingen who brought their psychic skills out in the open.
Or perhaps the druids/shamans and tribal healers in history were capable of things that we have forgotten about, because we could not deal with it in our materialistic world.
[ March 23, 2006, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on March 24, 2006 02:47 AM :
At one of the weirdest psychic experiences I ever had, I wasn't present.
It involved an uncle with whom I had an extremely strong bond during childhood, teens and twenties. He was my father's far younger brother and since I'm an only child and this uncle was only 16 years my senior, he was more like a brother to me than an ''uncle' in the uncle sense of the word.
In fact he was more than that, because we were identical in some ways. He travelled whenever and where-ever he could; even did the 'arrow on the globe trick' once, that made him end up on the island Truck, right in the middle of the pacific.. a horrible island btw.
We shared a deep going love for music, books and life, and were both incapable of sustaining long lasting relationships.
All that made us very understanding towards each other with very little words. In this manner we also, between us, acknowledged the existence of psychic phenomena.
At the age of 44 he had an instant and fatal heartattack. I was 28 then. Two years later I met the man I married and again 3 years later my husband went to see a well known Dutch psychic for the first time in his life (because his wacky wife told him to)
On entering the psychics house ! the psychic took a step back from my husband because of what he called an extremely strong energy he felt hoovering around him.
He got the initials 'B.C.'; a pain on his chest and confusion, anger.
When my hub got home and told me the story I got goose pimples all over. My uncles initials of course were BC and there was no way the psychic could have known this story.
It also gave me goose pimples because with other death in the family I had had my own share of psychic sensing.
One of the pages that set me crying in Travels was "the death of my father", because I had similar experiences with the death of my father who died at the age of 50, when I was 23.
After my uncle died however I did not sense much at all, in spite of the strong bond we used to have and in spite of the fact that I was sort of expecting something to happen.
And then, when five years later, it totally unexpected turns out he had apparently hooked on to the man I married, the whole experience freaked me out.
One of those moments where I compulsively deny the truth I see, because I don't want it to be that way.
[ March 24, 2006, 05:02 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by Geogrunt2 (Member # 4058) on March 25, 2006 07:25 AM :
Here's a story I have.
This happened either last year or the year before. I can't remember, but it was Thanksgiving week.
I was driving home from a really long day doing field work. 405 fwy again. Heavy bumper to bumper traffic at rush hour. A mess. I was only a few exits away from the one I want, moving at a snails pace when the company truck I was driving went dead.
Engine stops, all power gone. Crap! I was able to coast over to the side of the road. I get on my cell phone and call my wife, tell her what's going on so she's getting the road service phone number for me to call when in my rear view mirror I see a tow truck pull up behind me.
Cool. I don't have to wait or deal with sitting here waiting for service to get through all this mess.
It's been 2mins-tops since I had to pull over.
So the guy comes to the window and asks if I need assistance and I say "Right on, yes I do, where'd you come from so fast?"
The guy says "I don't know, you are so lucky . I say what do you mean? And he says he usually doesn't come this far down, it's not his area; not his territory and for some reason he over shot his h off ramp, the one where he turns around. He just got back on the freeway when he sees me and decides to pull over. He keeps saying "I don't know, this never happens, I never cover this route, you are lucky"
This whole time my wife is on the phone asking, who are you talking to? lol So I tell her the tow truck driver is here and she's asking where did he come from and all that stuff, it's all a bit crazy.
I have to say here, I don' t know whether it was the fumes from the traffic making communication hard or what, but the whole thing felt like it was taking place in slow motion, the air was thick, hard to explain . Unreal because at the same time it happened so fast, there's so much going on around us with the traffic-tense rushed energy all around with all the traffic and noise, we are yelling to hear each other, and it's dangerous even.
Anyway, guy hooks me up, I get in the truck with him, and tell him how to get me home and off we go. We get to my house, he unhooks the truck and I ask him how much I owe him for the tow. He says it's ok, I don't owe him anything. Ok, THAT never happens.
I give him a tip and away he goes.
So, in the house I'm talking to my wife about the whole thing and how strange and lucky I was and she says to me, "Who is the male friend you have who died around this time of year?"
Then I remember.
Back in school I had a friend named Richard. He was a geology major like me. He was a big huge giant fat guy super nice and like me was somewhat an outcast in the atmosphere we studied in. Among all the eco-groovy, peace-loving, plant eating crowd we were among at our northern California college, we didn't quite fit in most of the time.
Me, I was called "baby killer" because I was ex-military, and he was you know fat, slobby, unhealthy (poor guy was just getting by, he worked to put himself through school) . Anyway, you get my drift-- not alot of love for either of us from our peers. Not much dating or any social invitations.
We bonded over that and our field of study. We spent many hours and many a few beers talking about the earth, about life and the universe . good conversations. Really nice guy. Really nice to my little daughter too. He also was going to take over some of my thesis work.
Sadly, he died before finishing his degree.
One night, he happened to see a women in need on the the side of the road with a flat tire. It was during a rain storm too. He pulled over to help her. While he was changing her tire, another car went by too close and clipped into him. He passed right there and then. Probably didn't know what hit him. This happened during Thanksgiving week.
You know what he did to get himself through school? He worked as a tow truck driver to get through school.
I also dedicated my thesis to him. I say:
"I miss you Richard and wish you were here to enjoy this with me".
Cheers Richard!!!
[ March 25, 2006, 09:27 AM: Message edited by: Geogrunt2 ]
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Posted by Bill-Canada (Member # 2826) on March 25, 2006 07:41 AM :
Gg2,
Great story. Thanks for sharing that. It brought to mind something I seldom think about.
I had a dear friend named Ron who was killed in a headon collision with a semi-truck. The truck driver was tailgating another semi and when the front semi had to slow for a vehicle ahead of it, the rear trucker swung out into the oncoming lane to avoid rearending the other truck. My best friend Ron was right there.
The police estimated they were both doing about 60-65 MPH. Ron hit the semi tractor so hard his Cutlass tore the axles off the semi. Ron was decapitated instantly.
I got a phone call from his wife of one year and the news hit me like a hammer. Ron was like a brother to me.
At the funeral I was sitting with his wife on a sofa, next to a little fountain pool end table. She said 'I feel like Ron is right here with us!' Just as she finished saying that the water started churning, and the casket almost fell off its stand. It was a minor 4.5 earthquake. This was in the Midwest, not California, so earthquakes were very, very rare events.
Needless to say, we both stared at each other drop-jawed and wide-eyed. It was like Ron was saying. 'Yes, I am here, Hi and bye dear friends and loved ones!' It left both of us shaken, but also with a peaceful feeling that we had been able to say 'Goodbye'.
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on March 30, 2006 06:22 PM :
Thanks you all for sharing your stories.
I have tons of them. I've been psychic since I was a little kid, and have had experiences all my life.
This one is sort of long, I hope its ok.
1998-99 I went to a Psychic Fair. I was really in a sad place. I had a broken heart from a break-up of a four year relationship, I was sort of lost and hitting 40 yrs on top of all that. Ugh. Oh woah was me. LOL
A psychic fair is where a book store or metaphysical type school or learning center holds a special day when all the psychics are available for readings cheap and quick. Like 10 mins for 10 dollars or something. It's fun to see more than one and compare how similar the readings are. It's something we girls go do alot. Sort of like what MC did in London.
I payed for a reading with one lady and the first thing she says is "I see your grandmother standing with you" (I always feel my grandmother around me and psychics always see her) She describes her personality and features very well. She goes on to say, "She is holding out her arms to you, and there's a bright energy there..she's got a gift for you...I feel like it's an animal". I think to myself oh great!! I was a single mom, teenage daughter , and we had a dog, a cat, and my daughter had a horse-already. Grandma! No not an animal! LOL I was thinking a stray little something was gonna find me and I am a sucker for that. Nope wasn't anything small!
One week later, my daughter's riding instructor calls me up and says I have a horse for you, and it's free. One of her clients has to get rid of one of her horses and wants him to go to someone who'll love him. I thought of you she says!
LOL that's how I got my own horse. (I had wanted one all my life too, but living the dream with my daughter)
My horse was so awesome! He was a retired show horse and his special training was endurance (sp??) events on trails, and "Pleasure Seat" so he pranced with his head held high all fancy-like.
He was perfect. We lived in an area with many trials. I called him Trigger as a nick-name because he was so push button smart, calm and seasoned. He was like the energizer bunny!! Never wanted to go home. He was like riding Pegasus.
He collicked and died in 2000 (he was over 20 yrs old but never ever looked it) I was alone with him when he passed. He fought a good fight, all through the night but was only given a 50-50 chance by the vet. She could have put him down right then because it was bad. But, I just couldn't make that call. I was with him all day and night, and administered the pain killers so he could try and try to pass the blockage in his complicated and delicate intestines without any pain. That was all I could do
We walked up and down the aisles toghter. I had to coach him up now and then to do that. Keep a IV going, and hold it up as he was up or down. (I've got a bad elbow for life now because of that IV. It was huge!)
I remember he got up all calm by himslef and looked out the stall window at the sun rising. I remember the peace there. Then he turned and he reared up and whinnied, and then fell down on his side.
He pumped his legs as if he were galloping. I remember the woosh woosh noise his legs made. Then he just stopped, was still, and was gone. He ran to heaven!
He died one week after I moved in with my new husband. He came to me when I really needed a buddy and left me when I found my husband.
Like a angel he was.
His name was Jamil.
His official show name on his papers was "Fancination"
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on March 31, 2006 04:39 AM :
Space Monkey! That story hit home for me! Horses and me have had a thing going on since teenage days, but there was always a reason why it didn't fit into my life.
After my split up with a 13 year relationship, one of the first things I did, two years ago, was get myself new riding gear and Fate supplied me with just the right farm at just the right time.
You can find me there at least twice a week now.
It's the only place where I can really excuse myself from the rest of my life, no matter how positive and challenging that might be again.
And as I was partly rereading Travels lately and came across the part where MC explains how and why he started travelling again I had to think of how I'm soon to combine what seems to be healing factors in my life.
Soon I'm going to do a three day horseback riding trip with a group of great woman in a far far away and challenging desert.
Doesn't it all come together that way.
Guardian animal, the flow of energy that travel brings and a desert to peel all the make belief to the core.
Normally I'm not one for expectation, but from this trip I just know I can expect a lot.
[ March 31, 2006, 06:39 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on March 31, 2006 10:00 AM :
quote:
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The morning sun painted a red desert sky,
Praises and prayers were chanted on high.
Whispering winds moved over the land,
Restlessly shifting the parched, white sand.
The sky grew dark, from crimson to gray,
Shadowy clouds mounted in swirling arrays.
Torrents of sand eclipsed the sun,
Earth and Sky became as one.
From this mystical play of Earth and Sky
Came a shrieking, thundering, mighty cry -
Like the shrieking call of a million birds,
Like the thundering hoofs of a mighty herd.
Swiftly this tempest of swirling sand
Raced the lightning across the land.
Then God reached out, seizing this whirlwind force,
And from its fury formed the horse.
The creature's beauty was unsurpassed,
Its gait elegant, its speed lightning fast.
Intelligent, graceful, a regal force -
God's masterpiece, it is the horse.
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Ingrid,
your trip conjures up images from Hildalgo!
I hope it is a wonderful time for you!
I haven't been back in the saddle since my horse died. I think the time is soon to try again!
There's alot of animal energy in Travels, as in our stories here. If you google "animal totems" or read a book like Animal Speak, you may find the symbolism of your animal, the medicine it represents -matches up to what energy you might have needed at the time of the encounter or what was needed in your life to find the right path to your health and happiness.
The biggest reaction I got was from MC's bees!!! I can't even imagine the courage it took to surrender and just "be" with the bees crawling all over you!
some animal Medicine meanings:
For Bee: Organizer, productivity, wisdom, fertility, defensiveness, having an obsessive nature
Boar: Exemplary of the life-giving energy of the sun
Gorilla: Family-oriented, intelligence, strength, environmental protector, keeps peace through aggression
Horse: Freedom, beauty through strength, movement, mobility, stamina, mobility, message-carrier, astral travel, sharing power with others
Panther: Protection, hidden emotions, introspection, caution, careful decisions
Shark: Survival, hunter, adaptability, power, danger, senses injury, ever-moving
Snake: Transformation, sexual potency, prophecy, life-force, letting go the things that no longer serve you, impulsiveness
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on March 31, 2006 02:11 PM :
Thank you for the poem Space Monkey.
I think you've just proved that connection over the internet can be just as genuine as over a desert camp fire.
Have Animal Speak in my bookcase and yes when I tried the technique described in that book to summon up my totem animal it was the horse that showed itself in all it's beauty; just like in the poem.
(.....)
And then this morning 1st of April, I tear the 31st of March from my Zen calendar and from under it comes:
"O to be delivered from the rational into the realm of pure song......."
apparently said by a Theodore Roethke.
Never heard of the guy but he certainly made me think again of the poem you posted.
Next life I'm gonna request for an on/off switch for my brain.
[ April 01, 2006, 07:27 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by N. W. Clayton (Member # 4530) on April 12, 2006 11:25 PM :
The only experience I've personally had that struck me as having some potential to be paranormal happened in 5th grade. Our teacher, a seemingly rationaly guy named Mr. Henderson who was good at teaching science and math, decided to demonstrate telekenisis.
He made a pendulum out of a piece of thin metal wire a couple of feet in length with a small weight attached at one end. He held the other end of the wire between his thumb and index finger. Mr. Henderson stared intensely at the pendulum, and very gradually it started to swing (which, even at my age, seemed explainable by tiny movements of Mr. Henderson's hand, imperceptible to us and possibly even to him). He then caused the pendulum to gradually precess until it was swinging in a plane approximately perpendicular to the original direction of motion. Again, he claimed that this was "mind over matter". Again, I wasn't totally convinced.
Finally, however, a tiny kink started to form in the middle of the wire and it actually curled up a bit. For this, I had no explanation.
Of course, any reasonably talented magician could probably duplicate this sort of thing without too much trouble. This does not, however, completely eliminate the possibility that Mr. Henderson was using telekenisis.
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Posted by Alain (Member # 5147) on April 13, 2006 08:38 PM :
True psychic powers require a focus, and the power of crystals are often enough to allow latent abilities to be focused enough to have visible effects. The crystal must of course be attuned properly.
Alain
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on April 14, 2006 12:44 AM :
Lucidity, the rabbit reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, the one that leads her into the tree ( And a tree, from what I learned from Robert Moss, can serve as a dream gate )
I think what happened to you was both dream and in the realm of surreal reality.
When you're in between dream state and being "awake", - which is the time just before falling asleep or just waking up- , you are in fact in what we could call the twilight zone.
In that state we are more susceptible to psychic experiences because our ratio is not fully present to be judgemental and dismissive about what we see.
From what you describe you were very sleepy and taking a risk.
It could also be that your subconscious feels the danger of that situation, knowing you have your kids in the car, and your protective mother conscience creates the rabbit as a symbol for you to be careful. Subconscious can play funny tricks on you.
But in the end what I always think is who cares where it comes from?. Whether I or something in me creates my dreams, visions or intuitive warning devise, or if it comes from forces outside me, it's apparently there. Or at least I perceive it to be there.
The rabbit helped you didn't he/she? It made you alert and in that way served it's purpose.
So whether it's angels, spirit guides, mental chemistry or an ancient build in warning devise; it worked.
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on April 14, 2006 04:36 AM :
Lucidity,
Yes it worked! I can't believe you drove on being so sleepy! Here's a link to rabbit medicine or totem symbolism:
http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html
A very dear friend of ours passed away a few years ago. He was part of a paranormal investigation group I belonged to. He had the screen name of "Spookered" One of our mutual friends was very upset about his passing. Even more so because they explored evidence of an afterlife together, and shared the interest deeply. His passing really affected her; it made her question what she thought she knew and her beliefs. I think she wanted a "sign" from him.
A few days after his death she was headed into the parking lot of work and a rabbit was sitting there in the parking lot. Even when she got out of the car near to it it remained just sitting there and didn't run away.
When she went inside the office she told the receptionist about the rabbit sitting there. First thing the receptionist says is, "Run Away! Run Away! and laughed. My friend says "Huh?" Then the receptionist says " You know, good thing it wasn't that rabid rabbit from the Monty Python movie" LOL
Monty Python was a favorite of Spookered's. He was one of those people who could quote every line from every one of the movies. He would say "Run Away Run Away!" often in conversation when we were talking about someone or something, you know, when it was appropriate! I think she received her sign!
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on April 20, 2006 07:10 PM :
this site is fun if you want to try and test your ESP
Boundary Institute
What's fun about it is you can see how you rank after you are done, and can come back and try as often as you'd like.
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Posted by Bill-Canada (Member # 2826) on April 21, 2006 04:32 PM :
Space Monkey,
LMAO! If there were lines I would want to hear from a departed friend, or to send to someone Monty Python would top the list!
Twaaaaaaank! 'Message for you Sir!'
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on April 22, 2006 06:30 AM :
Bill-Canada,
You know what? I think most messages are funny and uplifting. At least the ones I have delivered or noticed.
I have a friend who passed away from cancer about 6 yrs ago. We were not real close, but we both boarded our horses, which were the same breed, at the same stable, and I knew her from there. She was a real character! Her name was "Mo" Mo competed in shows with her horse, and she wore fancy cowboy outfits, in bright colors. She was real funny, flirty ,very kind and very generous as well.
We also both had the habit of collecting bird feathers we found on the ground and hanging them on our rear view mirrors. We noticed we shared this habit and somehow we developed this compitition about who found the best feather.
I would often find a feather on my tack box or stuck on my saddle. If I found a neat one I would leave one for her as well. The stable was in the woods, so there were all sorts of birds, including hawks and woodpeckers, crows, bluejays. Finding a rare one or one with colors on it was the goal!
Anyway, we knew each other that way, and once we attended a Native American Pow Wow together. She invited me to go because she knew I liked that sort of thing. We danced in the peace circle and ate fry bread.
Long story short, Mo passed away and her husband asked me to help with her memorial because he did not have a minister or anyone for that sort of thing in his life. All her friends sprinkled her ashes at the stable where she wanted to be, right in the dirt of the riding arena , and I read a poem that released her spirit in joy and celebration. I also read "The Rainbow Bridge" because she was such an animal lover.
Now, here's the thing, ever after, when I am feeling confused, or sad or mad or need to make choice about doing the right thing or feeling alone in a situation yet need clarification ; you know? I find a feather!! Doesn't matter where I am; inside or outside, home or not. It's really a neat thing and it's not like I think about it and go look for feathers either because I have found them in very strange places too!
Cheers!
[ April 22, 2006, 08:31 AM: Message edited by: Space Monkey ]
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Posted by GeoffB (Member # 5202) on May 09, 2006 06:12 AM :
quote:
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Originally posted by Ingrid:
But in the end what I always think is who cares where it comes from?.
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I like this idea, Ingrid. I get into many discussions with people about where these "psychic" experiences originate and in the end, it really doesn't matter. If the experience helped you, it was good. If these experiences are created in the mind, by the subconscious, to help us, whether to keep us awake on a long drive or to help us deal with grief, to me that's just as cool as if they are externally created. That says something about the amazing perceptive and creative power of our minds.
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 13, 2006 01:36 PM :
An, at least to me, amazing Travels related story.
Setting: today; The Hague, Holland.
My two teenage girls and me are having dinner in the garden chatting away about which celebrity we would choose if we could swap places for one day.
I choose Sharon Stone.
"Wrong choice" as far as my girls are concerned. It would have to be Paris or Britney.
I try not to show any disappointment when out of the blue the oldest one turns to me and says: " Is it true Michael Crichton can step out of his body"?
I look at her startled. "Why do you ask".
In the most matter of fact way she says: "Because I've had that happening to me when we lived in the other house."
She then starts to describe in detail how she sat on the windowsill at night looking at herself getting out of bed and walking out of the room.
In those days, I remembered, she was troubled by what is known as 'night terror". Sleep walking with the eyes open,seeing things that no one else sees and it seems as if the owner of the body is not there. The nightmare walker is totally unavailable and you can't wake them up. All you can try and do is comfort them in their waking nightmare by saying soothing things and gentle touching.
It can be a scary sight for a parent who doesn't know what it is.
It's like it's not your child, all feeling of contact is gone.
That's why my daughters detailed description of her impressions gave me goose pimples all over. She had just confirmed what I had felt back then; that she wasn't in her body when she was night terror walking and apparently the topic of swopping places with someone was what triggered her story.
What also surprised me is that she used MC as a stepping stone.
Wasn't aware that his reputation as psychic phenomena researcher stretched that far into our household
[ May 13, 2006, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by The One (Member # 2600) on May 14, 2006 09:27 AM :
quote:
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Originally posted by ingrid:
n those days, I remembered, she was troubled by what is known as 'night terror". Sleep walking with the eyes open,seeing things that no one else sees and it seems as if the owner of the body is not there. The nightmare walker is totally unavailable and you can't wake them up. All you can try and do is comfort them in their waking nightmare by saying soothing things and gentle touching.
It can be a scary sight for a parent who doesn't know what it is.
It's like it's not your child, all feeling of contact is gone.
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Ingrid, you say here that sleep walkers cannot be woken. Sleep walking is known here in Sri Lanka as well (though it's not very common). And a usual thing the parents here who have such children do is they put a piece of wet cloth near the bed just where one usually step when getting out of bed. It is known that this wakes the kid up. Thought you might want to know...
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 15, 2006 07:53 AM :
Thanks for the tip the one.
Seems though there is a difference between 'regular' (whatever that may be) sleepwalking and night terror.
Fortunately btw she's fine nowadays.
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Posted by The One (Member # 2600) on May 15, 2006 09:13 AM :
You're welcome.
Yep, it seems there is a difference. I havent heard much about sleep terror.
Anyway, glad to hear she's fine now.
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 15, 2006 01:40 PM :
GeoffB! Sorry missed your comment earlier, but I'm so happy to find a fellow thinker here.!
This attitude of wanting to know where it comes from first, before we are willing to accept something is perhaps understandable, (we all have our control behaviour), but it excludes so much possible insights.
Like with dreams. Don't know where the screenplay comes from that I get to experience when I close my eyes.
Are the past over loved ones I meet there 'real". Am I seeing a manifestation of their spirit body? Or are they a product of my own lively imagination because I would know what they would do and think like?
Well, frankly I don't care.
I've had some pretty neat dreams that gave me insights I could use in daily life.
Einstein got his relativity theory in a dream, without knowing where it came from!
Sure glad he didn't reject it.
[ May 16, 2006, 08:36 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by WyrdScience (Member # 5281) on June 17, 2006 10:07 PM :
Greetings.
I've been studying aspects of paranormal phenomena for twenty five years, and many people have accused me of "wanting" to believe in ghosts and the like, but the truth is I would be just as happy to disprove them. I have personally experienced a number of truly odd, thus far unexplainable incidences in my life, and as there are so many variations of alleged paranormal phenomena, it's often impossible to pin down exactly what may or may not be at work regarding any specific event.
Recently, I was visiting the website of the American Society For Psychical Research and participated in an anonymous survey regarding paranormal experience. The creator of this questionnaire hypothesized that many instances of alleged ghostly happenings tend to occur in moments whenn there is insufficient oxygen in the brain to support clear, cognitive functioning. Some of my own experiences occurred when I was tired or recently roused from sleep, and certainly, as is proved by the function of yawning, the body requires further fuel in the form of nutrition, proper hydration or oxygen when it is sleepy.
It has been suggested that on occasions when the individual experienced possible paranormal events but did not report symptoms of sleepiness or inertia, that perhaps the area in which the person occupied at the time of the event may have had its breathable oxygen mix altered artificially or accidentally via stagnation, pockets of trapped gas, or the leaking of some type of gas into the area. Obviously, this idea cannot explain every strange incident away, but it could fit with many of the stories of supernatural experience I've researched over the years.
Then again, who knows? As I'm fond of telling people who ask me about the Afterlife, "You'll find out when you're dead!"
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Posted by Space Monkey (Member # 5112) on June 18, 2006 10:18 AM :
Welcome WyrdScience!
I have studied the history of ghosts and other similar phenomenon for a long time now. I think it is all about energy, plus how are brain interprets it, and in what state our brain is in too. I have gone on ghost investigatons as well.
Magnetic fields might play a part I think too, in manifesting and effect our eyes/brain to see them. Can send the brain to all kinds of places. Ground water under a house can produce magnetic energy for example.
Poltergeist phenomenon seems to occurr more often when teenagers live in the house..weird energy in teenagers for sure! Don't know if this is a part of some kind of Ophelia syndrom for the age ; teenager brain changes; fad; fake or coincidence ??
I love the show Ghost Hunters featuring the team of TAPS. I like their logical approaches, plus it's fun. The episode featuring a lighthouse in Florida; wow. (I know it's television but I still say wow!)
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Posted by Apocalyon Raptorvatar (Member # 5309) on June 26, 2006 03:49 AM :
This strange experience occured to me once. I dreamt that my mother forgot to make breakfast for me, and once I woke up I shouted, "Mom! You forgot to make my breakfast!" And sure enough, when I went downstairs, my plate was the only one without a pancake with it. "Sorry, I miscounted, " was my mother's answer. She did not notice that I said that before I even got out of bed.
Coincidence? Well the food in the dream and real life was the same...
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Posted by Zipster (Member # 5252) on June 26, 2006 07:27 AM :
I used to have similar experiences when I was about 11 or 12. I'd go to sleep and dream about school; then, the next day everthing would happen just like it did in my dream. Like deja vu on a weekly basis. It actually happened so often, I didn't have to study for a test, because I'd already taken it and knew I'd pass.
After a month or two I started to tell my friends at school about it. They didn't believe me. After that, it never happened again.
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Posted by cogito ergo sum (Member # 5346) on July 12, 2006 08:20 PM :
I am a natural doubter so when I usually hear of paranormal experiences I often don't want to take any leaps of faith, but I'm conflicted because there's so many things that if you showed someone a hundred years ago they would say it was witchcraft, but is perfectly explainable by science today.
I think my pessimism still wins out for now or at least until I have an experience that forces me to take that jump.
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Posted by Sirdiggle (Member # 5299) on July 13, 2006 10:59 PM :
I sincerely don't know what to believe. When MC writes about seeing auras or having a chat with a cactus, I can't help but think of what I learned in my psych class in college. One of the things they touched on was hypnosis or more accurately a mental state wherein the subject is easily suggestible.
I really want to believe in all kinds of things, like ghosts, auras, telepathy, astral projection, remote viewing, or even telekenisis. Unfortunately the proof doesn't seem to be extremely reliable. Ghost hunters, for instance, look at dust motes floating in front of the lens and see "orbs." (Just one example.)
Never in my life have I had a paranormal event. When I was little (say, 10 years old) I thought I could predict the songs coming on the radio and amazed myself by thinking of the next song that would play. This was until I learned about playlists and realized that the songs were, more often than not, being played in the same order every day. Aside from that, zilch.
With the possible exception of spoonbending, which I hope science can never explain, I am unable to believe whole-heartedly in the paranormal. I'll hold out hope against the odds anyway.
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Posted by Jiet (Member # 3696) on July 14, 2006 12:24 AM :
Sirdiggle,
Not so sure why you want to believe something. That would be tedious. I reckoned that such beliefs should be ingrained in you - not something you prove to yourself.
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Posted by Ender (Member # 5373) on July 25, 2006 02:42 PM :
I believe in no sort of supernatural phenomenon. Though I do believe it to be just another distraction to truth.
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Posted by Mukenko (Member # 4369) on August 06, 2006 04:44 AM :
Once, about two years ago, I had some sort of dream/vision that my father was buying me a case at Wal Mart. Lo and behold, he brought it home later.
Then on Christmas this past year, I felt some sort of ghost-arm touch my shoulder; that's all I know about that.
Does that mean it was anything paranormal? I think so, but I could be wrong.
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Posted by John Bell Hood (Member # 5391) on August 06, 2006 07:35 PM :
As a Christian man, I believe in the supernatural to an extent. But I mean...Psychics...That's just a little too weird for me.
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Posted by DudleyB (Member # 2766) on August 15, 2006 01:02 PM :
I went to a reenactment of a Salem-style witch trial once. The narrator explained that they had a transcript of the trial as well as some personal letters that some people in the courtroom had written describing the events. It was quite interesting, but very frustrating; because I kept wanting to interrupt the actors and say, "wait a minute! That doesn't make any sense! or that's not fair!" There was nothing of what we think of witchcraft today involved in the charges. They were really ignorant back then.
Then I thought they were pretty stupid too. If they really believed this woman was a witch, to have dragged her into a courtroom and mistreated her as they did might have gotten them all covered with warts, if not turned into toads! Apparently they didn't fear her at all, in which case, why care if she was a witch in the first place?
My point is: what is and isn't perceived as paranormal has changed. A dirty look from an old woman on Bourbon Street could be the Evil Eye to one person and nothing to another. You can boil eye of newt and toe of frog until the bats come home for all I care, but that doesn't make you a witch in my book. I'd have to see some serious stuff; and I don't think they saw any such thing in Salem Massachusetts or the stories would have been a lot different.
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Posted by puddin (Member # 6040) on May 03, 2007 08:49 PM :
Several years ago (inspired by MC's experiences in Travels) I took the Silva Method Course. It's all about going to the Alpha Level. I don't really understand the whole impact of what I studied, but I can tell you that finding a parking place is not a problem for me generally. Go to Alpha and a spot is usually pretty close at hand. Well, parking places are one thing ... but in Vegas... I found that I could successfully pick the "long odds" on the Wheel of Fortune game at the right time and win! I'm really not much of a gambler... I play a buck, win $40 and we go have lunch! Came back to Detroit Casino, same game, I "knew" "long odds" were going to come in...my hubby didn't place the bet though because minimum was $20, and he balked! The long odds fell--and everyone around heard me tell him to play and him declining it... We went to meet friends to dinner and then on the way out after dinner he said I could play, even though it was such a high minimum. I had to wait for the right feeling before I played... but I did get it, placed bet, and won $200.00. Very strange! I can't really explain what's happening. I don't do this much (not giving up day job to be pro gambler or anything!) lol! But this can't be coincidence. Something is really going on here.
I forgot to add that I don't even particularly like this game. It just happens to be the one that I seem to have a knack for. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to translate into to skill predicting the LOTTO!
[ May 03, 2007, 11:02 PM: Message edited by: puddin ]
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 03, 2007 11:22 PM :
Originally posted by DudleyB
quote:
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Apparently they didn't fear her at all, in which case, why care if she was a witch in the first place?
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If they didn't fear her, then why would they prosecute and sentence her?
Like with the church Inquisition during the middle ages; one of the main reasons to prosecute was fear.
Fear that a person might be a threat to the belief system that the prosecuters held and of which they somehow felt they could benefit.
Not much has changed in that respect during time.
Still some people or ideas are openly used to serve as scapegoats to divert attention from what more powerful and established institutions are at.
Still 'accusations' on (political) issues are being used to support and control the existing order.
I believe Michael Crichton wrote a book on that mechanism.*
Witches were not toad soup brewing , broom stick flying woman.
They were wise woman. Woman who resisted the rule of the leading order. They were wise enough to see , that some of the ideas of the ruling order were bias and superstitious.
And sometimes not even that! Sometimes they were behaving perfectly fine but only had the potential to undermine the existing rule or were feared for other reasons, because they were simply helpful or simply being nice or simply clever.
That's why they were drowned and hanged and burned.
Because they scared the life out of the leading order.
Perhaps the Salem re-enactment was still bias.
* and as it happens in the bibliography of that book quotes having used " Witches and Neighbours:The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft" by Robin Briggs
[ May 04, 2007, 01:53 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by Kickup (Member # 3159) on May 04, 2007 12:34 AM :
quote:
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Originally posted by Ingrid:
Like with the church Inquisition during the middle ages; one of the main reasons to prosecute was fear.
Fear that a person might be a threat to the belief system that the prosecuters held and of which they somehow felt they could benefit.
...Still some people or ideas are openly used to serve as scapegoats to divert attention from what more powerful and established institutions are at.
Still 'accusations' on (political) issues are being used to support and control the existing order.... [/QB]
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And another factor: Whether fearful or not, the purveyors of retaliatory fear (Inquisition leaders) were actually engaged in a maniacal weeding out of any possibility that the masses might get caught up in another pied piper, a Jesus whom they would follow instead of the state. None of the Church leaders wanted a repeat of "Rome vs. religion" (Christian or Jew) interrupting political strength. And if any part of witchcraft were real that would mean the masses could easily be swayed and follow the new "religion" like sheep. After all, explorers surely came back from the New World with tales of voodoo and its results.
Interesting thread. Sorry I missed it last year.
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 04, 2007 02:31 AM :
Kick Up, how I love your answer!
And look what is happening now with "New Age".
The revival of healing practises (Jesus), natural medicine (witchcraft)spiritual leadership (Buddha seems to be in big demand).
Change is eminent and inevitable. 'The balance of power" will tilt.
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Posted by DudleyB (Member # 2766) on May 04, 2007 09:39 AM :
Another factor was greed and opportunity. Some of the people caught up in the Inquisition (or the witch trials) may have had nothing to do with the stated purpose of the trials. In some cases it was probably a good opportunity for some people to get rid of other people that they didn't like for some reason. If you believe John J. Robinson's book, "Born in Blood," about the origin of the Free Masons as having come out of a death sentence on the Templar Knights by the Pope, the whole thing was about politics and money. Religion had nothing to do with that or the Crusades.
[ May 04, 2007, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: DudleyB ]
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 04, 2007 02:02 PM :
You're so right there, Dudley! Religion, Politics; Crusades in those days, all one big melting pot for personal gain. Must have been an El Dorado for critical observers. Pity though the Inquisition was there as well. If you voiced one word you ended up at the wrong side of the hot iron.
It would have been great fun however to be a political journalist in those days. The pope and the king of France fighting their battles of power, yummie.
I even believe if was the French King Philip who condemned the Templar knights on a Friday the 13th (hence still the bad luck associated to that day)and then pressured pope Clement into supporting him.
Such an intriguing part of History!
I think there are hidden stories there that could fill up wonderful historical novels.
[ May 04, 2007, 04:03 PM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by Kickup (Member # 3159) on May 04, 2007 10:59 PM :
Ingrid,
You would have been tried as a witch for writing it all down, found guilty and you know the rest. Any challenge or any activity that had even a slight, remote possibility of challenge, was nipped in the bud. Censorship still rules our planet today. Think where we would be without censorship. I can think of no age on this planet where it has not existed. What would our cultures worldwide be like without it? Who wants to venture a list here? Engage imagination, NOT based on history!
[ May 05, 2007, 01:00 AM: Message edited by: Kickup ]
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 04, 2007 11:19 PM :
Such a lovely question KickUp.
I think that without censorship the world COULD be a better place; more honest at least.
But here's something to chew on: "We all allow censorship to exist."
We hardly object or open our mouth, apart from the occasional writer, film maker or politician who does speak up.
I've had this discussion once with Oleg too.
How come 'the people' seem to accept being dominated by oppressive rules and unfair judgements.
Why don't we 'en masse' revolt against being denied this first of all human rights' freedom of expression'.
But we don't!
We seem to like to be decided for!
I've said it before on this website: "most people don't like to think for themselves" far too much responsibility!
And sorry for getting back to History as an example, but the Roman Catholic Church is such a perfect example of it.
It has thrived for ages on the possibility for people to buy off their responsibility!
"Forgive me father for I have sinned" '
"Well that's ok son or daughter, just give the Church a substantial amount of money and you'll be just fine! For ages already!!!!!!
The whole of St. Pete' in Rome was build on that money.!
It gives you some idea of how much most people liked to be censored.
[ May 05, 2007, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Ingrid ]
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Posted by NormaStar5 (Member # 6020) on May 07, 2007 12:36 PM :
quote:
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Originally posted by Ingrid:
Such a lovely question KickUp.
I think that without censorship the world COULD be a better place; more honest at least.
But here's something to chew on: "We all allow censorship to exist."
We hardly object or open our mouth, apart from the occasional writer, film maker or politician who does speak up.
I've had this discussion once with Oleg too.
How come 'the people' seem to accept being dominated by oppressive rules and unfair judgements.
Why don't we 'en masse' revolt against being denied this first of all human rights' freedom of expression'.
But we don't!
We seem to like to be decided for!
I've said it before on this website: "most people don't like to think for themselves" far too much responsibility!
And sorry for getting back to History as an example, but the Roman Catholic Church is such a perfect example of it.
It has thrived for ages on the possibility for people to buy off their responsibility!
"Forgive me father for I have sinned" '
"Well that's ok son or daughter, just give the Church a substantial amount of money and you'll be just fine! For ages already!!!!!!
The whole of St. Pete' in Rome was build on that money.!
It gives you some idea of how much most people liked to be censored.
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Dear Ingrid,
I take great offense to the remarks made regarding The Roman Catholic Faith. In one brief paragraph you not only condemned the entire population that worships in this faith as being lead blindly; have condemned the entire clergy of this faith as child and sexual predators (implied)and such; have likened the faith to a money oriented, souless institution bent on covering up horrific criminal behavior; and have made ridicule a common religious phrase used before confession.
Understand this, I am a devout catholic; I love science, but I love the Lord even more. Because it is through faith in the Heavenly Father that I have learned to appreciate science and the plight of the human race. Yes, you have a right to your opinion, but -- is your opinion based on fact? Or wounded human emotion.
I remind you of Islam. What do you say about their religion? I remind you of the Mormans. What about the Baptists? The Protestants -- How do they fair in the money trail?
And it is in this spirit that I hope you think before you condemn an entire population -- because it is in that same manner that nearly 6 million Jews were also innocently condemned; and the same scenario has been played out to other groups throughout history.
Past history is not present history -- changes do occur. And thought the Roman Catholic Faith's outer-structure may have suffered, its infra-structure has not; it has remained intact -- the message is still clear: Love, Faith and Hope -- even in the eyes of insurmountable doubt and attack.
I am not angry, neither am I ashamed of what I believe in. I just hope rather that you can forgive whomever has taught you to make such assumptions.
Respectfully.
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Posted by Ingrid (Member # 2685) on May 07, 2007 04:24 PM :
Dear NormaStar5,
I did not make remarks regarding faith ; I made remarks against what history has tought me has happened in the middle ages, in connection to religion being used as a powerful political institution.
Also in this day and age, religion, regardless which one, is often being used as such.
But religion and faith are two different things to me.
When re-reading my post however, I realize that my choice of words and tone of voice was offensive to you. However that was not my intention.
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Posted by harold lee (Member # 5721) on May 08, 2007 12:25 AM :
I agree with Ingrid. Religion and faith are different things. As a scientist, I have (should be had) faith in the design of my experiments, the collection of data and the interpretations of them. I don't treat my science as a religion like I think there is a supreme being behind every test tube. Allow me to quote Einstein again. When he was asked what he thought about the compatibility of science and religion, his answer was "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." I believe he meant that we could not treat science and religion at their face value. There is deeper meaning. The depth varies from person to person, from culture to culture and change with time. I saw a TV clip on a religious service for our soldiers in Iraq. The journalist said (I think I am correct) that "Stress of the young soldiers brings out religion, or religion is the cause of war". He might have a point but certainly not relevant to this war. Years back, I visited the Catholic center frequently and discussed religion, science, atheists, philosophy, even sport etc. topic with the director.(I found the chapel the most relaxing atmosphere where I meditated.) We would take the opposite sides. For example, what if I was a Catholic (I lean toward Buddhism) and he was a Buddhist; what if he was an atheist and I was superstitious. We had great discussions and we became great friends. Many said that discussions of religions and politics will not make friends. I disagree. It just take an open mind and respect the view of others.
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Posted by harold lee (Member # 5721) on May 08, 2007 12:26 AM :
I forgot. NormaStar, what are the titles of your books in print.
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Posted by ImCurious (Member # 4665) on May 13, 2007 04:40 AM :
[QB]
quote:
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Originally posted by Ingrid:
And sorry for getting back to History as an example, but the Roman Catholic Church is such a perfect example of it.
It has thrived for ages on the possibility for people to buy off their responsibility!
"Forgive me father for I have sinned" '
"Well that's ok son or daughter, just give the Church a substantial amount of money and you'll be just fine! For ages already!!!!!!
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I am not a catholic. However, the above post was startling to me. I seriously doubt that catholics are asked to "buy off their responsibility", at least, not anymore. I'm certain that Ingrid did not intend to offend anyone, but it's hard to imagine that such a statement would not offend a catholic. Perhaps Ingrid did not think that there were any catholics frequenting this message board.
I, too, am disturbed by the anti-Christian sentiments expressed around the world as if it's permissible, while the same people who do this, seem to be aghast at criticism of Buddhists, Hindus, Bahais, Islamists, Shintos, and so on as if to criticize these latter religions would be bigotry and intolerance. I wonder why that is.
While I am not a catholic, I am a Christian, one of tens of millions in the United States, alone, and it's astounding to notice the freedom with which non-Christians and atheists use the name of Jesus Christ to curse. It doesn't seem to enter anyone's mind that this might be extremely offensive to the largest religious group in the U.S. I don't know why that is.
(I also don't know why some Christians and Islamists speak disdainfully of other Christians or Islamists who are of another denomination.)
The words "religious fundies" is a mocking term used also, and it happens to refer to people who are typical Americans who are dumb, kind, obnoxious, tiresome, generous, brilliant, and are in nearly every profession -- physicians, professors, lawyers, nurses, truck drivers, waiters, waitresses, scientists (yep), writers, students, teachers. "Religious fundies" invariably implies that said people are ignorant, stupid, uneducated, ridiculous, nut cases. Sure, I know some who fit that category, but more do not.
In truth, those who criticize Christians in such ways are ignorant of most Christian beliefs and practices and don't know more than a couple of Christians, if any. Spare me the extreme examples like Jimmy Swaggart. I don't know any Christians who claim to be perfect, and as Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." That applies to everybody, including Christians.
This was not written to scold anyone, including Ingrid. Her post simply struck a nerve, and I'm taking the opportunity to express feelings about common occurrances that many Christians talk about only among themselves. I do not want such talk to be banned nor do I want it ever to be legally "hate speech". Regardless of our speech, our hearts are known. Bans are pointless. I am considering all of this post to be a reminder to myself to be kind.
[ May 13, 2007, 06:57 AM:
