Cullan Hudson's Blog, page 34
March 9, 2012
Supernatural Experience In Ireland?
This was forwarded to me from a colleague. It's an account she wrote at my behest of her sojourn to Newgrange, the prehistoric complex in County Meath, Ireland. . . .
The bus was small but its huge windows provided ample views of the lush green fieldsand rippling hills. Despite a leaden sky, the colors seem vibrant and the world more intimate.
The Hill of Tara, ancient site of the High King of Ireland, the crumbling Slane Castle, and enough thatched roof cottages, with bright red doors, to make any sightseer giddy. The curving River Boyne, said to have been engraved in the soil of Ireland by the goddess Boanne herself and the water where the mighty Finn caught the Salmon of Wisdom, was surging and tumbling over gray rocks and hardy fisherman waded its tumult to fill their baskets with a catch of trout and salmon. Around the small narrow lanes we moved until there was the site older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge, the structure known as Newgrange (dated to about 3,200 B.C.E.). Aligned to the solstice, its exact purpose is unknown, although researchers suggest it was a place of deep religious significance due to the burial and reburial activities traced there. It was a mound covering an acre of ground (some 250 feet across, 40 feet high) and surrounded by thousands of pounds of rocks brought there from some forty miles away. Around its parameter were the remains of a one time circle of standing stones. At the entrance the impressive huge stone carved with mysterious spirals and carvings yet to be conclusively interpreted. The long, rock hewn passage leading nearly twenty feet into the very heart of the mound branched off near its end into three alcoves. Above was the unique corbelled roof of stones. Cautioned on the tour not to touch the walls, the shadowy interior, and the group of people in the passage meant at one point I was pushed back against the rock face of the passage. When that happened an almost static charge of electricity rippled through me and for a moment it was as if I did not stand in the 20th century but had been catapulted through time and space into the time when some of my ancestors might have helped construct the mighty mound and worship there in the course of time. Although the mound, like many such locales, has been noted to have increased levels of electromagnetic readings, I noted the others in the group seemed oblivious of any thing but the rain, the cold, and the sights they were seeing. They had not touched the wall of course, but still I had to wonder if they would have experienced that thrill of the mysterious in quiet the same way or felt that rush as time and space flexed around me for that brief- all too short – time
The bus was small but its huge windows provided ample views of the lush green fieldsand rippling hills. Despite a leaden sky, the colors seem vibrant and the world more intimate.The Hill of Tara, ancient site of the High King of Ireland, the crumbling Slane Castle, and enough thatched roof cottages, with bright red doors, to make any sightseer giddy. The curving River Boyne, said to have been engraved in the soil of Ireland by the goddess Boanne herself and the water where the mighty Finn caught the Salmon of Wisdom, was surging and tumbling over gray rocks and hardy fisherman waded its tumult to fill their baskets with a catch of trout and salmon. Around the small narrow lanes we moved until there was the site older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge, the structure known as Newgrange (dated to about 3,200 B.C.E.). Aligned to the solstice, its exact purpose is unknown, although researchers suggest it was a place of deep religious significance due to the burial and reburial activities traced there. It was a mound covering an acre of ground (some 250 feet across, 40 feet high) and surrounded by thousands of pounds of rocks brought there from some forty miles away. Around its parameter were the remains of a one time circle of standing stones. At the entrance the impressive huge stone carved with mysterious spirals and carvings yet to be conclusively interpreted. The long, rock hewn passage leading nearly twenty feet into the very heart of the mound branched off near its end into three alcoves. Above was the unique corbelled roof of stones. Cautioned on the tour not to touch the walls, the shadowy interior, and the group of people in the passage meant at one point I was pushed back against the rock face of the passage. When that happened an almost static charge of electricity rippled through me and for a moment it was as if I did not stand in the 20th century but had been catapulted through time and space into the time when some of my ancestors might have helped construct the mighty mound and worship there in the course of time. Although the mound, like many such locales, has been noted to have increased levels of electromagnetic readings, I noted the others in the group seemed oblivious of any thing but the rain, the cold, and the sights they were seeing. They had not touched the wall of course, but still I had to wonder if they would have experienced that thrill of the mysterious in quiet the same way or felt that rush as time and space flexed around me for that brief- all too short – time
March 6, 2012
Experience Haunted Ireland
Check out the Travel Channel's webpage for a great slideshow of the haunted and mysterious spots of Ireland, including ancient castles and even older sites filled with mystical energy and strange magic.
February 29, 2012
Mayan Death Beam or One Of A Million Hoaxes Coming This Year?
At first, I thought a digital artifact but now I'm thinking just a blatant hoax. An easy one to do also.
Here's a shot I took in Xunantunich on the Belize/Guatemala border. I didn't see the mysterious ray of light until just now...
February 25, 2012
Missouri's Mysterious Buried City
Jason Offutt (From The Shadows blog) digs up an 1885 article in the New York Times that tantalized Gothamites with a tale of "Missouri's buried city: A strange discovery in a coal mine near Moberly [MO]".
According to the report, miners working near the small town broke through to a large cavern comprised of "lava arches" and containing a buried city.
Among those items found within were tools, stone benches, statues made of a bronze-like substance, and the skeletal remains of a giant man.
Given the timeframe of this account, it's likely Offutt stumbled upon one of the many instances of fantastically fabricated tales that posed as news at the height of Yellow Journalism. Oklahoma itself has seen plenty of these stories that were proffered as truth in order to sell more copies in a highly competitive environment.
According to the report, miners working near the small town broke through to a large cavern comprised of "lava arches" and containing a buried city.
Among those items found within were tools, stone benches, statues made of a bronze-like substance, and the skeletal remains of a giant man.
Given the timeframe of this account, it's likely Offutt stumbled upon one of the many instances of fantastically fabricated tales that posed as news at the height of Yellow Journalism. Oklahoma itself has seen plenty of these stories that were proffered as truth in order to sell more copies in a highly competitive environment.
February 22, 2012
UFO Hoax Causes Buzz
The interwebs have been all abuzz with a badly produced video of a UFO landing in "Roswell, NM". However, the video clearly shows an overly-designed CGI craft landing in an industrial complex somewhere that is soooooooo not Roswell, NM. Comments following this post tell us that some of the signs are in Swedish and that one of the buildings bears the name of the production company at which the video's author works. Furthermore, I lived just a couple hours away from Roswell for several years. I know the area well and this in no way looks like southeastern New Mexico.
Destination Truth Producers Murdered In Uganda
A producer and two other staff members who worked on shows such as Amazing Race and Destination Truth were found poisoned by criminals in Uganda's capital. Read more about this recent tragedy here.
February 18, 2012
New Book Dusts Off Ancient Olympians
New book out by a good friend of mine. He's a great writer with a keen imagination and has proved himself quite adept at spinning a thriller such as this.Book Description
Publication Date: February 2, 2012 During the age of Olympos, when a vengeful goddess shatters the Sacred Scales, both immortals and humans alike suffer. Apollo, the god of truth, goes from a glorious existence as The Shining One to a victim of Zeus' wrath, and his journey makes him question his godhood, his role in the cosmos, and his views on humanity. Prophecy and the Fates direct his course, and he must make difficult, yet vital, choices. Millennia pass, and Dan, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah—four reluctant modern-day heroes gifted by ancient civilizations born of the gods—bound by prophecy, have to choose whether or not to save their world when it could mean they never existed. They must master their new powers while battling against incomprehensible forces from the Underworld and repairing the Sacred Scales, destroyed long ago. With the equilibrium between Order and Chaos unhinged, and the Olympian gods struggling to exist, these four must ally themselves with the United Nations to protect an endangered world, becoming the only group who can fight against metaphysical threats to the Earth, forging Task Force: Gaea. Can mortals succeed where gods cannot go? Show More Show Less
Editorial Reviews About the AuthorDavid Berger, born in Boston and having grown up on Long Island, NY, has been a teacher since 1993, currently teaching 12th grade AP English Literature and International Baccalaureate English as well as college courses at St. Leo University. A love of mythology of all types from an early age eventually sparked an interest in comic books and, ultimately, to the fantasy genre. Task Force: Gaea began as a short story 25 years ago and evolved into its current incarnation with dedication and a desire to write the story he wanted to tell. He lives with his partner in Tampa Bay and is currently working on a sequel to Task Force: Gaea
February 17, 2012
Champ Video So REAL It Was Pulled??
According to the anonymous writer of a comment on Cryptomundo, the recent video from Lake Champlain that purports to show its famed Loch Ness-style monster was removed from YouTube because it reveals the truth. To wit, the creature is REAL! But it's curious that the commenter also notes that the auteur of the video now wants 4,000 dollars each for first generation copies. The intimation seems to be that some sort of conspiracy is afoot, but considering the ABC video originally aired in 2006, it may simply be that the video has aged out in favor of others. I've often been disappointed to find that a link to a story or video no longer exists because that space was needed for something newer or more popular. But if it were a video so compelling in its veracity and authenticity, then it would be scrutinized countlessly, much like the P/G bigfoot film. It's likely that ABC had limited rights to the video in their deal with the guy who shot it and those have now aged off or if the YouTube account wasn't ABC's, the video was pulled because it infringed upon the copyrights of either the network or the video's owner. In short, there exist myriad explanations far more mundane than conspiracy.
February 15, 2012
Mysterious Southern Waters
Beware the depths of Southern waters for they hold mystery and misfortune. In 1962, Miami man Edward McCleary and his companions were diving in the crystalline waters off Florida when a strange fog rolled in. Within its occluded embrace slithered a long, dark form that devoured one of the men before there was even time to react. The strange beast quickly dragged the other two men to the deep. McCleary barely had time to climb back into the boat where he watched the creature with fear as it circled him, peering at its quarry with green eyes from within a turtle-like head.
Those who denounce the incident, claim the men had haplessly stumbled into the feeding frenzy of large sharks, perhaps hammerheads. But McCleary insists to this day that he and his friends had been attacked by some type of sea monster.
Of all the myths and legends of the deep south, mermaids stand out in peculiar contrast to gothic tales of haunted plantations, shadowy swamp apes, and the countless instances where the Devil 'went down to' some town or another. If we aren't thinking of Disney references or childhood stories, most of us equate mermaids with legends from ancient Greece and, later, northern Europe. Yet, if a diver from Australia is to believed, his encounter with one in the Atlantic waters off south Florida in 1988 suggests these famous half fish-half woman beings might have a southern twang.
Furthermore, there is the legend of the mysterious disappearance of an entire tribe of Native Americans from the Gulf.
The Biloxi (or Pascagoula) lived along the banks of the present-day Pascagoula River, which lies between Biloxi, MS and New Orleans. According to legend, they worshipped the effigy of a mer-woman and would hold elaborate ceremonies on the banks of the river, listening for her otherworldly music.
Around 1539, a Catholic priest converted many in the tribe to Christianity. They tore down the temple that housed the mer-god's various effigies and tossed this into the Pascagoula River.
Legend claims that the enraged goddess erupted from the water and demanded her minions join her in the other realm. Powerless to refuse, the entire tribe leaped into the river and vanished from existence.
It is said that even today, locals occasionally claim to hear a susurrus emanating from the river, as if a chorus of voices chanted from deep below the surface.
Archaelogical evidence points to an abandonment stemming from conflict, perhaps with the neighboring Choctaws.
Still, one can't help recall the two men who claimed to have a close encounter with an extraterrestrial life form while fishing on the Pascagoula River in the late 1960s. Perhaps their story wasn't quite as ridiculous as we feel so comfortable making it…
One last thought on the sudden and wholesale demise of settlements. Such things have occurred before. One can easily think of the famous Roanoke vanishing, but there is also the disappearance of an entire group of Ibo tribesmen from Africa on South Carolina's St. Simons Island when they vanished into the waters of Dunbar Creek rather than face lives as slaves. Some say the area (now home to industry and condos) is still haunted by the ghostly clanking of their shackles as they hobble forth to an endless death.
February 13, 2012
Historical Account: Dr. Bell's Psychic Science
In 1854, Dr. Luther V. Bell, director of the McLean Asylum for the Insane in Boston, scientifically tested the capabilities and veracity of several psychic mediums.
During his studies, he claimed to have seen both the realization of extraordinary mental gifts as well as the manifestation of measurable physical phenomena as well. For instance, during one test, a table was witnessed to have moved twice from one room to another. Another medium was able to contact Bell's brother who had died 25 years before.
While the communication was startling detailed, eschewing most all doubts, Bell was still troubled by something. Through further experimentation, Bell came to believe that the medium wasn't in contact with the spirit of any dead brother. Rather, the medium only knew what Bell himself knew; if he were ignorant of the answer to any question posed, the medium (or the "spirit" of Bell's brother) would be equally ignorant--even when he should have known the response.
This all led Bell to conclude that while the psychic gift was real, it didn't extend to the spirit realm. Still, this was a remarkable confirmation in and of itself.
During his studies, he claimed to have seen both the realization of extraordinary mental gifts as well as the manifestation of measurable physical phenomena as well. For instance, during one test, a table was witnessed to have moved twice from one room to another. Another medium was able to contact Bell's brother who had died 25 years before.
While the communication was startling detailed, eschewing most all doubts, Bell was still troubled by something. Through further experimentation, Bell came to believe that the medium wasn't in contact with the spirit of any dead brother. Rather, the medium only knew what Bell himself knew; if he were ignorant of the answer to any question posed, the medium (or the "spirit" of Bell's brother) would be equally ignorant--even when he should have known the response.
This all led Bell to conclude that while the psychic gift was real, it didn't extend to the spirit realm. Still, this was a remarkable confirmation in and of itself.
