Tag Archives: paranormal

Oct 28 2015

The Ouija Board & Evil?

On All Hallow’s Eve, when the dead come back home and the veil between existences is the thinnest, communing with them is supposed to be easier than any other time of year.  There are a number of ways those who have translated can interact with us on this side, but what do we do to initiate the conversation?  Automatic writing,  candle flame scrying, deep meditation to channel?  How about an Ouija Board?

The witchboard was introduced to our country around 1891 when an interest in the Spiritualist movement was at its peak.  It was a popular form of entertainment for decades practiced by a large following of believers from just about every background, including Mary Todd Lincoln, the President’s wife.

Ouija boards seem to be to the occult what cilantro is to cooking….you either love it or hate it!! I know people who won’t go near one and certainly would never touch one because of the supposed inherent evil they contain.  I don’t understand this questionable thinking process.  How can a piece of wood or pressed cardboard be made bad?  Certainly the movie The Exorcist helped this idea develop!!  And religions, also, jumped on the bandwagon in an effort to scare a dwindling Sunday attendance back into the pews so congregations could keep one step ahead of the Devil….

In November 2014 DailyMail.com ran a story saying the sales of Ouija boards was up 300%.  Couldn’t find stats for this year so far, but imagine sales are still pretty good; especially considering when times are tough people turn more to the paranormal for answers they don’t get anywhere else.  Ouija’s are still manufactured by Hasbro, who bought out Parker Brothers in 1991, and I don’t think they package a piece of Satan in every box!

Ouija, like any other tool, can be used for any purpose. I believe that any evil that is associated with the witchboard comes to it with the intent of the person, or people, using it.  It can work as a conductor for any energy, but does not have any inherent energy of its own.  It’s like white or black magick  —  no such thing  —  there’s only magick.  What you do with it is what defines it.

Happy Halloween!!

–  ashanta

 

We would like to invite anyone who would like to contact us, share a story, comment on anything, or just keep in  touch to reach us at:

ashantaofthelema@gmail.com                                Thank you!!

Oct 16 2015

Strange Company

We live in a house in Holyoke MA that was built in the late 1880’s and will remain unidentified for obvious reasons.  It’s a humble eight room place with garage and old carriage house.  When it was built the city looked much different from the way it does today. Many landmarks have recessed into history and are almost forgotten.   There used to be a small pond at the bottom of the hill where a street full of houses now stands.  Not far away was the old slaughterhouse – from the time before the city crept away from its start further downtown.  Holyoke was the first planned industrial city in the United States and during its inception planned the streets around mills that were prevalent in the area at the time.

We’ve only lived here a few years, but it was evident from the start that the house was already occupied by others before we moved in.  We’ve had the usual doors opening and closing by themselves, the sound of footfalls where the living weren’t walking, unusual raps and knocks, and course fickle lighting that goes off and on at will.  Occasionally one can even catch a glimpse of someone walking around that soon vanishes when they realize they, also, are being watched.  These things are all o.k.  It’s the other one that is a bit disturbing….

I think it’s old, it’s definitely strong, and it’s black.  Darker-than-night black.  We didn’t believe it at first, but as time went on it proved itself to be here.  This thing – and I doubt it was ever a person – can emit unusual smells.  That, in and of itself, isn’t so bad, but it can mess with your head, too, if you let it.  Initially we wondered why, all of a sudden, one or another of us would get an encompassing feeling of such grief that crying was inevitable.  For no reason.  Other times, it is overpowering depression – a dark downer.  It can also manifest and share anxiety and anger.

It likes to enter where you’re sleeping and stand beside the bed looking at you until you wake up or turn over.  Its large blob of a self is darker than the night and you can feel its stare.

It took a while to understand what was going on….it was subtle at first.  Getting a handle on this thing has provided some protection against it.  Banishing rituals have also been useful in mitigating its ability to influence your feelings.  But this thing doesn’t like these rites.  I’ve gotten scratches that bleed from something unseen when nothing or no-one else was close enough to me to do it.  Suddenly, it’s just a sharp hot that takes some time to heal.  Hair tugging happens, too, and isn’t as bad as bleeding.

 

I’ve done a history on the area of the house and there doesn’t seem to be anything here – that I can find – that would contribute to this activity.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t somehow associated with the land.  Many Native American settlements were close and I’m sure there were skirmishes.  I don’t think it was anyone who lived or died here, either…. as I said, don’t think this thing was ever human.

It’s still here and probably always will be.  It’s a matter of who’s will is stronger….  so far – we’re one up.

—  ashanta

Oct 13 2015

What is IT — or Who?

Up in the rolling foothills of the Berkshires are many small villages that fast-paced city life has left behind.  Here, life is lived much like it has been always.  Among the scattered homesteads, occasional country convenience store, and always present package stores are historical places that have been there since everyone can remember.  There aren’t many historical markers, just testaments to people living there  —  and dying.  Much of a town’s history can be read on old tombstones that tell something of the people who used to live there.  But, not all of them…

Middlefield MA is home to Mack Cemetery. It was the first burying ground in town started in the late 1700’s with members of the Mack family.  It’s identified by a small, humble, weathered wooden sign near 184 Skyline Trail.  A number of early residents are interred there.  Many are identified being members of related families.  Except one.

In a far back corner of the site, near the woods, a lone stone stands and appears to be an old hand-carved marker that shows age and wear.  The simple lettering identifies the dead as, “IT”.  While there is a lot of speculation as to who – or what – could be buried there, no one knows for sure.  On-line town records don’t identify it and it doesn’t seem to have any initials of anyone else resting there.  IT may not be resting, either.  On dark nights orbs have been seen around the stone and grey streaks have manifested in the area.  There’s a general feeling of uneasiness in that part of town even during daylight hours.  Is  IT watching us, too?

– –  Bran

We would like to invite anyone who would like to contact us, share a story, comment on anything, or just keep in  touch to reach us at:

ashantaofthelema@gmail.com                                Thank you!!

Oct 7 2015

Witches & Witchcraft

(This is a bit lengthy, but it is Halloween Season…)

In an anthropological, religious, and mythological context, witchcraft is the alleged practice of using magickal powers to either help or harm another person and/or his possessions.

But – how did all this start?

Witchcraft, as all the other earth-based nature religions of Paganism have their origins in pre-history.  Small communities and other groupings of people lived in harmony with nature and the earth was considered to be nurturing – thus the concept of Mother Nature was assumed.  The earth fed, clothed, and sheltered her own.  The Goddess was born,  a figure to express the divine seen and experienced in the natural world.

The Goddess expressed one aspect of Nature’s fertility and being natural – her Consort – the Great Horned Father symbolized the other aspect of nature’s fecundity.  He is also represented as the Green Man, or Robin of the Wood.  Both God & Goddess had as many  names as there were people communing with them.  These gods/goddesses weren’t thought to be above humanity – they resembled humanity.  Just as we have both good and bad sides – so did they.

Paganism is generally henotheistic –   there is more than one god/dess  even though only one is worshipped at a time.  There were generally 8 major celebrations or festivals that took place in spots that were considered sacred.  Nature was all around and natural cycles and rhythms  were the things revered.

There were no rule books, there was no bible, there were no written rites, but these people more than likely had a better relationship with their world and others in it than  we do today.

So what happened?

 The man-made religion of Christianity happened.  While Nature Religions are Matriarchal, Christianity is not and Patriarchy was trying to be pushed at everyone who could be rounded up.

Christianity spread through towns and villages before it reached the more rural areas.  And – contrary to the widespread belief that conversions were immediate, they were not.  With the progression of the church hierarchy demanding pagans convert whole countries were classified as Christian.  In actuality only the rulers had adopted the new monotheism and some only half-heartedly.  The church made many deals with many rulers to sway them to their side.  It took over 1000 years for The Old Religion to be pushed back out of peoples minds and practices.

In a further attempt to manipulate and control the masses, around the turn of the 7th century,  Pope Gregory the Great ordered his bishops to smash any pagan idols they could find and sprinkle holy water on the sacred sites of the Old Religion.  He felt if he built his Churches on the sacred places of the heretics, more people would attend the new church.

And that wasn’t the only attempt at substitution Christians resorted to….they also assumed pagan celebration days and symbols from the heathen.

Of course the builders, woodcarvers, and stonemasons the church used to build their new edifices were adherents to the old ways and they weren’t as stupid as Pope Gregory might have hoped.  These artisans incorporated images of their own deities in the decorating of the new churches and worshiped their own during Mass.

Pagans of every kind became the enemies of Christianity.  So the Church set out to destroy it’s rival.  As it has been said, “The Gods of an old religion become the Devils of the new.”, and so it was with the burgeoning Christian movement.  The Great Horned Father became the newly personified Satan.  And as we know from the Deviled Ham Wrapper – the Devil has horns!   Therefore all Pagans must be devil-worshippers. And so the thread of fear started to be woven.

By the way – Horns are a symbol of Wisdom.  There is a statue of Moses at the Vatican with Horns and a few pictures that have been painted of him in the same way.

Another aside while we’re at it….Satan is a device created by the Church to instill fear.  Fear makes control easier to attain.  Capital letter “S” Satan doesn’t appear in the Bible until the New Testament.  There are references to ‘the satans’ in the Old Testament, but the translation of the word Small letter “s” satans is “adversary” or “tempter”.  The satans tested people to make sure their faith was good.

Under the Churches guidance the 2 sides of man became 2 opposing forces: one of good and one of evil….God vs. Satan and the battle was on.

As time passed the idea that anyone who was not a Christian was the Devil’s own grew in strength and the ardor of those in the Church to eradicate anyone not like themselves grew to fever pitch.   In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII  published his Bull against Witches.  2 years later Heinrich Kramer and Jakob Sprenger, both monks, wrote the Malleus Maleficarum – The Witch’s Hammer  and with this large tome of instructions on how to torture and punish witches – the hunt was on.

Between 1480 and 1700 over 100,000 men and women were tortured, crushed, burned, hanged, drowned, and in several instances drawn and quartered.   Some estimates quote the number at closer to 9 million.

Within this time-frame, immigration to the new land had started.  The Puritans, The Pilgrims were creating their settlements and larger numbers kept coming to get a new start.  New starts, however, do not imply New Ways, so these people brought there old beliefs with them.  They were a superstitious people and they faced a hostile native population,  their crops failed, they suffered starvation, and disease.  Prayer and fasting didn’t mitigate their harsh conditions and they wanted these bad things to stop and soon.

With all that negativity surely some of the witches must have followed them to the new land.  They also still got into feuds with their neighbors – so perhaps one of them could be the sorcerer.

The Protestant ministers of New England didn’t follow the tenets of the Catholic Church, but they still felt themselves to be God’s Chosen.  They preached fire and brimstone and blamed The Devil for all the ills of their people.  Fear among the people was rampant and as it spread the Clergy found itself with a lot of power to wield among those less wise  and worthy than themselves.

Cotton Mather, one of the most famous Men-of-the-Cloth, preached that his people should “fight a holy war against the army of devils who are ready to strike a any moment.”.

In 1692 the Salem Witch hunts began.  The Rev. Samuel Paris had become the parson of the Village of Salem and he wasn’t too well liked by the people.  At the suggestion of his daughter Betsy and niece Abagail, the Paris’ West Indian slave Tituba was accused of dabbling in magick.   And – she confessed.  The hysteria had started.

The courts decided that Spectral information would be allowed at trial.  Spectral information involved ghosts appearing to the accusers to give them information on the victims they were turning in to the court.  When someone was accused of being a witch, the accuser’s word was taken as truth without question.    No other evidence mattered.

200 men and women in New England were accused of being a witch.  24 of them were tortured and killed.   95 Percent of all witch executions happened in New England.  Until the horror at Salem, only 5 people were brought up for trial.  They were all acquitted and 2 of the men filed slander and libel charges against their accuser’s and won.

The straw that broke the back of hysteria in Salem ended when the Rev. George Burroughs was executed.  Prior to his hanging, he recited the Lord’s Prayer – something, as it was known, no witch could ever do.  The court had sentenced him to death – however – so the lynching went on.

Five years after these trials occurred it was determined that the court system was inadequate.  It was then that “Innocent until Proven Guilty” was established.

In 1951 the last Witchcraft Act from 1735 and the Fraudulent Medium Act were repealed in England making the discussion, practice, and interest in Witchcraft legal.  Gerald Gardner, a practicing coven member from a group in New Forest, England wrote 2 books that were published there and abroad.  He published Witchcraft Today in 1954 and The Meaning of Witchcraft in 1959.   With his new Neo-Wiccan Bible for Christians-in-Denial came a tremendous interest in the practice of bending the laws of physics to achieve what one wills.  New Age Covens sprang up everywhere and a new order of witchcraft was born.

Today, half a century later, there are active covens all over our 50 states, but there are a lot more people practicing the Old Religion, who revere Nature, who practice as solitaries.  These people today are  no more Satanists than those that were persecuted before them.

There are some good tenets to Paganism:    “that it hurt no one – so mote it be”

“love is the law – love under will”

whatever one does to someone else – the energy will return to the sender by the power of 3  and scrying techniques are utilized for the betterment of the user…..   gazing balls, tarot cards, astrology charts, to name a few are techniques employed to grow, as an individual, to a higher spiritual level.  Trying to attain spiritual compatability with the Creator doesn’t sound evil to me. And the use of sigils, symbolism, and magickal instruments to attempt to connect with a higher energy to be used for the good of all shouldn’t be damned.

–  ashanta

We would like to invite anyone who would like to contact us, share a story, comment on anything, or just keep in  touch to reach us at:

ashantaofthelema@gmail.com                                Thank you!!

Sep 29 2015

Wizard’s Glen — Haunted or Just Eerie?

Wizard’s Glen is located along a part of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts.  Nestled in the hills of Dalton, this site sits along Gulf Road which starts at the intersection of High Street and Park Avenue in the Southeastern part of town.  It’s a four-mile unpaved designated scenic road that looks more like a pathway.

As you traverse up the street the air seems to get cooler as you approach a high rocky ravine cut through flint rocks.  The area narrows as huge boulders ascend skyward through the densely treed area.  Other large rocks that have fallen among the boulders look like they’ve been dumped from the sky to fall where they may.  A lot of the rocks are moss covered and the overgrowth of bushes and dense foliage take over the place.  Even though,  crevasses in the rubble are obvious….at least they were when we last visited the place.

There’s a local myth that claims over a 100 years ago a local man had been out hunting and was bringing home a deer he had gotten when a terrible thunderboomer hit the area.  The rain was blowing sideways and the lightening was frequent.  Not wanting to travel further that night, the man hung his quarry from a tree branch and went to find shelter under one of the overhanging monoliths.  All of a sudden the place started lighting up. He watched as an evil spirit and its minions started dancing around, whirling themselves into a frenzy.  Suddenly, an Indian girl was brought forth and heaved onto one of the large flat stones.  All the demons charged at her with knives, killing her.  As she turned her head away she caught the eyes of the hidden onlooker.  He grabbed his Bible, lunged to his feet, and ordered the spirits to leave her alone.  The scene then vanished in the next crash of thunder and everything was again dark.  When the man rose to leave the next morning he believed it all to be a dream, but found someone, (or some things), had stolen his deer  —  and who else could it have been?  Can the screams of the young girl still be heard on some dark, stormy evenings?

Hobomocko, the Algonquin spirit of death, is attributed to being the organizer of the human sacrifice made that terrible night.  And the area already had a reputation for being a power spot for the Native American shamans who performed their invocations and rituals.  Even now, the huge, flat, altar stone can still be seen.  Some claim the red iron ore stains are really the spilled blood of many unfortunate others who became the ritual gift to a higher deity.

–   ashanta

We would like to invite anyone who would like to contact us, share a story, comment on anything, or just keep in  touch to reach us at:

ashantaofthelema@gmail.com                                Thank you!!

Sep 24 2015

Commune with the Universe – Meditate

All meditation can lead to a channel that opens up to inner wisdom, regeneration, and connection to all that exists in the Universe.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘meditation’?  I think meditation is one of the most misunderstood spirituality practices in use today.  It seems to carry an aura of some sort of superiority in the quest for enlightenment. Those who practice it seem almost apart from many other people.  And, it appears to retain a shell of mystery as to comprehension of its inner connections to all things transcendental.  I wonder if this veneer has been planned and finely honed or if it is inherent in the belief that it is a study of eastern ways as opposed to being introduced by the west.

Meditation can be practiced by anyone,  anywhere, anytime.  It doesn’t have to be done while sitting on a mat in an uncomfortable position.  It can be utilized while taking a walk for a few minutes in the middle of a hectic workday.  It can be done while sitting poolside, ocean side, on a deck, or in your living room.

Meditation is a tool to reunite with the unseen, the unknown, and the incalculable.   It can inspire, teach, and open pathways. The most important thing to do to reach the most desirable state of meditation and produce the best results is to try and quiet your mind.  It’s important to stop your internal dialogue.  And these things are easier to say than to achieve.

Try to not focus your attention on anything specific because when you do that your mind becomes fixed on that thing and stillness escapes.  While you will hear things around you don’t try to figure out where they are coming from or what they are.  That will also draw your mind to fix on something else besides the task at hand.

Let the Universe guide you and open yourself up to the things it has to offer. These results can be just as beneficial and potent as the ones achieved by a practitioner who rests in one position for hours on end….and who knows  –  maybe they are napping.

–   ashanta

We would like to invite anyone who would like to contact us, share a story, comment on anything, or just keep in  touch to reach us at:

ashantaofthelema@gmail.com                                Thank you!!

Oct 22 2014

A Haunted Museum – Wistariahurst

Wistariahurst Museum is the magnificent homestead of silk manufacturing mogul William Skinner. It is nestled in the southern Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and houses a wealth of history. And – it’s haunted.

This 26-room historic mansion has been situated in Holyoke, MA since 1874 after being moved, piece by piece, from it’s original site in Williamsburg, MA. The Skinner’s lived there until 1959 when the youngest of their children, Katherine Skinner Kilbourne, deeded the homestead to the City of Holyoke for philanthropic purposes.

The first incarnation of the Skinner estate, “Wistariahurst” as it came to be known (and spelled in it’s German variation), sat across the street from the Skinner’s first three-storied brick manufacturing plant on the Mill River, which supplied its power. When the Mill River Dam broke in 1874 it brought death and financial ruin to mill workers and owners alike. William Skinner, finding himself in almost complete financial devastation and mill-less, accepted an offer from the Holyoke Water Power Company to move his silk business and family home to Holyoke. A deal too good to refuse, Skinner accepted and the house was moved from “Skinnerville” in Williamsburg to the city block it now occupies in Holyoke.

The house was built large after the fashion of any wealthy manufacturer of its time. It was made larger,and more magnificent by Ruth Isabel “Belle” Skinner, a spinster daughter of the silk industrialist. Money was no object and Belle didn’t mind spending it – especially if it made her look even better in the society to which she had become accustomed.

Many stories have been written about the family, the house, and their history. Nothing, yet, has been mentioned about the peculiar activities that happen on the premises when the visitors leave…and before they arrive.

Formerly, I worked as a volunteer for the museum and was responsible for preparing the house to open for visitors and closing it down when museum hours were over. I’ve been throughout the house on many occasions and have had a number of experiences that weren’t ordinary and cannot be easily explained.

I was on the second floor of the house one late afternoon turning off lights, closing displays, and getting ready to lock doors when there was the sound of a door banging loudly. Could it have been another volunteer or administrator coming in? I called out, “Hello! I’m closing up, up here. (Listening) Hello?.. (Listening. Walking toward the noise.) Hi, where are you?..” No reply. Nobody. No closed doors.

I found the other staff and volunteers downstairs and mentioned the noise. All present said they had heard it, but none knew where it came from.

Other things seen and unseen:

Moving shadows out the corner of one’s eye.

Plugs and extension cords thrown into the middle of hallways.

Footfalls.

Doors closing behind you when you enter a room.

A few of the former servant’s quarters have been closed to the public for one reason or another, but those are the places where a lot of the activity takes place. Perhaps that’s why they aren’t opened that frequently.

On another occasion I was on the second floor locking up one of the servant’s areas. There was always an uneasy feeling in these rooms, like you were never alone. I made sure everything was secure and locked the door. As I was walking down the hallway toward the back staircase when the space between the door and the jamb rattled violently and then slammed shut again. It had been closed when I left it moments before….

Sometimes I had to go to the third floor where the head housekeeper had her bedroom and office. Her name was Hulda and she was like a member of the Skinner family. You never feel alone on the third floor. There are footfalls that follow you and doors will close behind you – even when you don’t want them to.

While the servants quarters seem to be the most active areas of activity, some of the family members also still remain – at least during some parts of the year because you can hear them. And – sometimes see them.

I’ve seen Kittie, the youngest of the Skinner children, at the top of the wrap-around staircase from the main hall. She was elegant in her long, champagne silk gown starting her descent along the suspended stairs. When she got to the landing overlooking the great room she vanished. Her hair was swept up in a loose twist and she wore a string of pearls.

Although Wistariahurst now offers candlelight tours around Halloween time, their actors and effects cannot produce anything like the real thing!!! Seeing and hearing are believing. Artificial presentations don’t produce the same phenomena as the real thing does.

– ashanta

Sep 10 2014

Unanswered Questions

I was doing a tarot reading for an acquaintance of a work friend for the first time. I have read the cards for friends and family for several years now. This reading started out
as usual, but when it was over something new to me occurred.

A thought kept coming to me, “ask her if she knows [this person]”. I ignored it at first, but the voice-thought kept coming back. I eventually asked her and found out it was her
dead brother. She then told me this had happened once before when seeing a psychic. She said that he is always letting her know he is with her by seeing him in her dreams.

She then said she wished she could hear from her dead husband, but never had. Then his name came to me. I told her and she was excited, he proved who he was to her satisfaction
by bringing up things from their life together. She said she had one question that she always wanted-needed to know and that was the one thing that never came through.

I have since been told by an established medium that not getting an answer to a question is sometimes the answer. It could be that the spirit didn’t have an answer, or that the
asker needed to find out for themselves. I, too, believe that there are sometimes lessons to be learned that the asker will have to find out alone.

-Bran.

Jul 22 2014

Ghosts

New England is a region rich with the lore and legend of our ancestors. All it takes is a peek beneath the surface of the thrifty, hardworking, and no-nonsense Yankee to see the superstition and wild imagination that, undoubtedly, has helped make our region so interesting and, occasionally, down right creepy.

 

Spiritualism, put simply, is the belief that the spirit continues to exist after physical death and that it can be scientifically studied through interaction with the spirit via seance, which is made possible through the use of a medium, or person who possesses the ability to contact and channel spirit energies. The purpose of this is to learn about the afterlife and the spirit world. There are still Spiritualist Churches in existence today including On-I-Set-Wigwam Spiritualist Camp in Onset, Massachusetts.(On the Cape near Wareham.) {Spiritualists believe in the Christian God and see the existence of the human soul as proof of passages in the bible}

 

The American Spiritualist Movement came into being in March 1848 in Hydesville, New York. The Fox family; John Fox, his wife, and their daughters Margaret and Katie moved to New York from Canada. They took temporary residence in a house that had been abandoned and was reported to be haunted. John Fox paid no heed to the rumors of strange activity and instead looked for physical answers to the thumps and knocks that their family was hearing. Every night he would go around the house and knock on walls and look for loose floor boards and other things that may be causing the noises. His daughters, however, had no problem believing that there was a spirit in the house and had even given him a nickname (Mr. Splitfoot).

 

One evening as their father was performing his checks Kate noticed that when her father would knock on a wall the knocks would be repeated back in the same number. This led to the invention of a system where a certain number of knocks would be “yes” and a different number would mean “no”. They also had different knocks for the letters in the alphabet. Using this system allowed the Fox sister’s to “communicate” with the spirit. Soon the neighbors of the Fox family were coming to see the girls use their mediumistic powers and question the spirits. By 1849 Margaret and Kate were performing all over New England to crowds of people both eager to see thier talents or to see evidence that the sisters were a sham.

 

Although the sisters did engage in some questionable lines of performance no one was ever able to prove that their abilities were fake despite being bound around the ankles and wrists and even submitting to having their underwear checked. In 1904, years after both the Fox sister’s were dead, some children were playing in the basement of their old Hydesville home when a wall collapsed nearly killing one child. When the structure was investigated it was found to be a poorly constructed false partition and upon it’s excavation the skeletal remains of a man were unearthed.

 

The Fox sisters really launched the American Spiritualist Movement. Soon after they began performing for the public all sorts of other people were discovering that they too had mediumistic powers. The idea that the soul could survive physical death appealed to a great many people. To truly understand the appeal and popularity of the Movement we must consider the social climate of Victorian times.

 

The Victorians held themselves to very strict codes of social conduct and dress. Women were considered to be fare, frail, and submissive to men. Men were the head of the household and expected to maintain their families respectability. Both men and women were expected to be extremely sexually prude. Not even written expressions of emotion or sexuality were considered permissible. To maintain this respectability Victorians even went to the extreme of not using any words with even a miniscule sexual connotation (“indelicate” words) or coming up with euphemisms for them. For example the word “leg” was replaced by “limb” as it was considered less offensive. Women’s and men’s lives were considered to be and expected to be maintained within different spheres.

 

It is during these times that great changes were occurring and competing with traditional Victorian vales. Evangelicalism was very popular as it emphasized moral conduct and humanitarian causes, but it was coexisting with utilitarianism- the belief in reason to solve problems, and empiricism – which aimed to have legislation to help improve men’s talents. It also promoted a series of reforms designed to improve the lives of the lower classes, such as free education, women’s emancipation, and the organization of trade unions. Scientific discovery, especially in geology and biology, was breaking new ground and scientific principals were gaining favoritism. Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species in 1859. The Women’s Right and Suffregate Movements were gaining popularity. All these changes and expectations were churning up the lives of these people and then Spiritualism came along.

 

Spiritualism offered a compromise between religion and science, it offered the hope that familial ties could transcend death, it offered a place where rigid social conduct and expectations could be relaxed for an evening. Spiritualism quickly became popular among all the social classes, although most formal seances were conducted within the Middle and Upper Classes. These seances became social passtimes and a place where men and women could relax and let their separate social spheres mingle. It is also important to note that, although there were male mediums and mesmerists, the Spiritualist Movement was dominated by women.

 

– Moonchild

Jul 20 2014

More about us : Paranormal thoughts

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Thank you for your response. ✨

A thought on this site:  We attempt to address all paranormal issues not limited to any one area.  We love ghosts, of course, who doesn’t?  UFO’s are also great, but there are so many other issues that can be addressed and we don’t want to limit experiences on just a few of the most common forms of the unusual….That being said, we’d like to talk about Ouija boards, ESP, teleportation, clairvoyance, clairaudience, telemetry, astrology, tarot, automatic writing, stargates, synchronicity, heightened states of awareness, near-death experiences, déjà vu awareness, time shifts, karmic reactions and anything else that interests you!!

 

Ever just feel foreboding and wonder what it is or where it comes from?  Ever decide not to do something and then find out that it was a good thing you changed your mind?  Ever heard a voice telling you something and then decided it just couldn’t be so?  Ever feel you shouldn’t have done something you didn’t think you should have pursued before you went ahead and did it?

 

Have you seen something in the sky authorities won’t validate?  ….Do you catch something out of the corner of your eye that just cannot be there?  …Has something gone missing for weeks before it turns up again where you should have been able to see it right after losing it?  Do you ‘know’ something before it’s proved to be true?

 

The paranormal is not spooky – it’s the normal that we’ve been conditioned to ignore and a natural ability we’ve been discouraged to explore.  Society has been set-up to curtail normal abilities that the Creator gave freely, but certain individuals in power have always attempted to take away from the people.  Freedom is more than political and freedom of the mind can never be taken away or mitigated by anyone.  Learn how to reconnect and soar to individual aspirational rewards.

Please comment on any or all articles.  Share your stuff with us and let’s communicate to further information, education, and awareness.  If you send us things that you do not wish to be shared, please state that and your wishes will be honored.

 

For comments you can write to      ashantaofthelema@gmail.com   or go to the blog site at:  westernmassparanormal.org.    All comments, stories, etc. are appreciated and welcomed.