John Vespasian asked:


Every few years, investigative reporters uncover scandals of some religious or social movement which, under the pretence of improving the world, serves only to enrich its leaders. This sort of exploitative phenomena are not new. Abundant examples of similar cases can be found in sources from previous centuries.

Why do these abusive situations repeat themselves so frequently? What allows those harmful schemes to attract thousands of victims in different countries and historical periods? The response lies before our eyes: individuals feel alone and want to belong to a closely-knit group, even if that entails paying the highest price.

Men and women wish to be part of a community. We all desire to feel needed and appreciated. In a harsh city environment, a polite sentence or gesture may constitute a shocking act of generosity. Even self-serving, abject flattery can work once in a while in situations that have become so dehumanized that people are starving to hear a few nice words.

Isolation creates psychological vulnerability, which, on many occasions, turns into long-term dependence and subservience. Sociologists have come up with sophisticated theories to explain why people fall prey to heartless manipulators, but do we need a long chain of reasoning when direct observation can provide the answer?

The fundamental cause of such pernicious relationships is a false theory of friendship. It is a fact that, from infancy to retirement, men get together, talk, and cooperate. Although we see friendships begin everyday and fail every hour, in advantageous or disruptive conditions, we seldom take the time to reflect how the process works.

When it comes to making friends, commonplace advice has become integrated in the dominant culture to such an extent that it reigns uncontested. Traditional guidelines have been recycled and rehashed without much regard to veracity or scientific proof. Here are some bromides that are often served as entrée, main course, and dessert:

1. Smile to random strangers.

2. Do not express unpopular ideas.

3. Avoid making controversial statements.

4. Listen to others and never contest their views openly.

5. Do not attract undue attention.

6. Show interest in whatever stories people choose to tell you.

7. Be flexible and avoid making clear-cut statements.

8. Do not antagonize others by bringing up sensitive subjects.

9. Cultivate small talk and avoid criticizing people.

10. Do not embarrass others by pointing out obvious contradictions.

The list could be extended to comprise a hundred commandments. The issue is to determine whether those recommendations lead to friendship or to something else. What are the results of following such advice?
Exhortations to avoid personal conflict may be meant to protect your career, but they possess a fatal weakness. Their effectiveness in hiding your true opinions becomes, at the same time, the poison that prevents you from developing any kind of deep, satisfying, involved personal relation.

Rational people do not choose their friends amongst those who avoid firm commitments, appear self-effacing, and sugar-coat their remarks. Playing down your personal views in order to please strangers will certainly minimize the amount of conflict in your life, but it will also render you invisible to potential friends, that is, those who share your values and convictions.

Being yourself is the first step to build satisfactory relationships. If you choose to dissimulate your interests and beliefs for the sake of conformity, you might be accepted by a certain community, but only as an empty human shell. Is it worth it to give up your personality in order to enter a space where you essentially don’t belong?

From time to time, when a situation so requires, it may be advisable for you to refrain speaking out your mind. Those cases tend to be exceptional in modern society. As a general rule, a man is better off by letting his philosophy inspire his words and gestures so that others can see him the way he is. In practical terms, this is what an open attitude entails:

* Reserve your acts of kindness for people you like.

* Do discuss about ideas, principles, and ethics.

* If you believe that you are objectively right, take a clear position.

* Remain open to examine evidence that contradicts your views.

* When you make a mistake, apologize, and learn for the future.

* Be polite, but if someone tries to force something upon you, just say no.

* By pointing out contradictions to people who are willing to listen, you might prevent a catastrophe from occurring.

* Seek truth and steer clear of insincere people. Liars are the sort of persons that you don’t want to have in your life.

* Choose deep, involved conversations over nonsensical, time-wasting trite.

A realistic theory of friendship begins with a commonality of interests and values. A life filled with empty social engagements is tantamount to an endless nightmare from which you never wake up. Seek out people who appreciate profound discussions and share your rational beliefs.

Offer consistency between form and substance and fly high the flag of your convictions. Be yourself and you will not fail to attract your perfect social match. True friendship is what binds those who share the same road and move forward in the same direction.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the novel “When Everything Fails, Try This.” He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See John Vespasian’s blog about rational living.

http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com/

Bill Knell asked:


Already a knowledgeable New Age author, researcher and practitioner of sorts, Academy Award-winning Actress Shirley MacLaine seems to have added UFO conspiracy reporter to her resume. In her latest book, Saging While Aging, Shirley reveals what she knows or has learned about various incidents involving UFOs, the military, intelligence services and famous people. The well-known performer that has appeared in almost sixty films to date recently discussed her book and shared some of these revelations with Whitley Strieber on his Dreamland web cast.

One of the most-shocking claims made by the veteran actress is that the late John Mack, professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University and alien abductions researcher, may have been murdered. Dr Mack was killed by a drunk driver as he stepped off a curb in London, England, near Totteridge Lane and Longland Drive on September 27, 2004. He was walking home alone after a dinner with some friends when the incident occurred. Shirley says that another person named John Mack was also killed by a drunk driver around the same time in another part of London.

Another story Shirley shares is one that she heard from Lucille Ball involving the late Ronald Reagan. While he was still an actor, Ronald Reagan was attending a party with several other celebrities at a private residence in Los Angeles. The actor and his wife arrived several hours late. According to well-known actress and comedienne Lucille Ball, Reagan took her aside and told her that he and his wife Nancy had an amazing experience on the way to the party.

Ronald Regan told Lucy that he and Nancy were driving on Mulholland Drive when a UFO landed near their vehicle. Although this story has been told before, a number of new details were added. For example, Shirley MacLaine says Lucille Ball told her that Reagan claimed a ladder appeared and an alien climbed out of the craft. The alien told him to quit his acting work and go into politics. The most popular version of that same story doesn’t include the appearance of an alien or what he said to the former California Governor and President of the United States.

MacLaine had a few more surprises in store for Whitley Strieber and his audience. One was that she believed the popular account that President Eisenhower met with aliens at what is now Edwards Air Force Base in 1954. Another was her admiration for the late Dr Michael Wolf and the information he shared with paranormal researchers. Dr Wolf is well known to some in the UFO field as a U.S. Government Insider that spent roughly the last ten years of his life sharing some of what he knew or had learned about UFOs and aliens. Those revelations included as much as he was allowed to reveal about U.S. Government involvement with aliens.

Fellow paranormal researcher **** Criswell and I spent years speaking with Dr Wolf., **** much more so than I. Michael Wolf spoke about things involving UFOs and aliens in the 1990s that were completely unknown to UFO researchers at that time. That caused him more than a few problems with many in the UFO research community where already jealous and distrustful people took aim at his claims. Despite almost complete rejection by major UFO research organizations, Dr Wolf’s information was credible and time has proven him to be correct. Several video and audio presentations by or about Dr Wolf are offered at http://www.CanYouStandTheTruth.com

Shirley MacLaine first stirred up a hornet’s nest with her new book by revealing that Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinich (House of Representatives, D-Ohio) had seen a UFO while at one of her homes located near Seattle, Washington. That brought a number of embarrassing questions for Kucinich and revealed how the mainstream media simply refuses to take the subject seriously.

MacLaine’s new book is more than just the usual New Age fluff and I’m not sure that her loyal readers are ready for what she has to say. However, I thank her for her honesty and suggest you read Saging While Aging. In a culture devoted to youth, it’s important to remember how much we can learn from those who have experienced life and few have done so more fully than Shirley MacLaine.

Read more at http://www.CanYouStandTheTruth.com

Alex Vasilevski asked:


Shy people can find it challenging to make friends especially if they are amongst people they don’t know. Would you like to have the skills to start conversation and make friends with total strangers? It is not so difficult and frightening as you think as with little effort and practice you can start right now. Even better once you learn how it will become second nature to you, each time it will be easier, you will overcome shyness and making friends will become pleasure instead of torture.

The first thing to understand is that your shyness can end up being a real gift. Why? Because most of the time, people would rather talk than listen. It is human nature. So if you want to learn how to make friends all you have to know is how to get people to talk to you. Now this is easy once you understand what people like to talk about the most. Themselves.

That’s right, if you want to get people to talk to you just ask them about themselves. Now, of course you are going to run into people who are more private and may be reluctant to do this. In this case, find out what they are interested in and get them to talk about it. Ask how long they have been doing it; ask why they started and why they like it so much. Then just let them go and listen. Knowing how to make friends is all about being able to keep a good conversation going. Get someone to talk about what they are interested in and you’ll hardly have to talk at all. Pretty soon, they’ll wonder the same thing about you. By then it ought to be easy to have your turn.

That said, let me give you a few tips on how to make friends by starting these kinds of conversations and keeping them going:

· Practice talking to people you don’t know:

You can start small and work your way up. Make it a goal today to say hello to at least one person who you don’t know. Do this for one week and then begin to also ask them “How are you today?” Once this becomes a habit, pick two people a day until you are saying this to everyone who you can. You will be surprised at how easy it becomes after some practice.

· Compliment them or ask for their advice

These are both powerful ways to earn someone’s respect right away. Of course, you may not always be in a position to ask someone for advice. That’s when you go for the compliment. Don’t worry about what you are going to say next, the conversation may not go anywhere and that’s OK. The point is that if you get into the habit of doing this that you are going to run into some people who will help move the conversation along.

These simple steps will make a world of difference; just imagine where you could be one year from now! So go ahead and work on putting them into practice. Soon you will learn that knowing how to make friends is something even shy people can learn.

Frederick Gimino asked:


Psychics provide an opportunity to explore a mysterious world that lies just beyond our five senses. Opening a door to the supernatural realm of spirits and other worldly phenomenon psychics hold the key to the future that is yet to be.

Some skeptics say psychics do not exist but many experts disagree. Considering the expansive collection of unexplained phenomenon, in the world, it is hard to dispute the possibility of psychic powers.

We do know that we only use about 10% of our brains resources. So, what is the other 90 % for? It would stand to reason that it has some function. Right? So, is it not possible that somewhere, in that untapped potential, resides a sixth sense?

A sense that allowed us to survive a much darker time when man was forced to compete with oversized predators and elusive prey. Only armed with the power of the human mind, steely wits, and an opposable thumb mankind was already a formidable adversary. However, the addition of keener senses or an additional sixth sense would have made humanity unstoppable.

The ability to sense, that which lies beyond our five senses, would have been an invaluable tool to early man. It may have allowed the survival of the human species, as we know it today. However, as time went on and living conditions became easier with the domestication of animals, honing of learned skills, and the ability to form agrarian societies these abilities may have atrophied.

Our psychic abilities may have atrophied to the point that they became anatomically and physiologically vestigial in nature. The genetic combination responsible for the psychic trait may now rarely appear except aberrantly, in a chosen few, whose genotype allows phenotypical expression of the dormant trait or traits responsible for psychic abilities.

Just because we do not understand something fully does not mean it does not exist. The possibility of psychic ability, in our mysterious universe, is still a plausible explanation for many unexplained phenomenon.

Even with all of the advancements over the last 100 years there is still much debate and speculation, in the scientific community, about a plethora of topics. From the big bang to evolution scientists agree to disagree.

It stands to reason according to the scientific method that until all the explanations, hypothesis, and theories regarding psychic abilities are disproved that it must be considered as a viable alternative explanation to recognized unexplained paranormal phenomenon such as deja vu, precognition, and clairvoyance.

Some scientists studying psychic phenomenon, in children, utilizing the Zener card test regularly encounter statistically significant data that suggests more than chance outcomes at work. In fact many children regularly defy the odds by scoring 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60 % accuracy on a test with a statistical mean of 20% by chance. If that were a drug trial being run and that was the incidence of death for participants the FDA would certainly consider that significant. Right?

In addition to genetic factors that may predispose children to exhibit psychic abilities human development may hold some clues as to the reason children seem to possess a higher degree of psychic ability than adults. Human development occurs in stages each with its own marked physiological characteristics. During childhood it should come as no surprise to find out that we have the highest number of synaptic pathways that we ever have during the course of our lives. Do these extra connections provide a medium to the psychic realm? Is our brain wired towards the paranormal at earlier stages of human development due to anatomical and physiological processes that are occurring during the first several years of our lives?

Furthermore, according to Comparative Embryology during the first 6 weeks of human development, in our mother’s womb, we go through an evolution of sorts. In fact up until the time we differentiate we remain almost morphologically indistinguishable from lower life forms, in the same phase of development. From a single cell to pharyngeal gill slits to lanugo (body hair in utero) to human morphology we comparatively exhibit similar traits to our animal ancestors.

Is it possible that this comparative morphology extends past the physical development of the human body and into our development outside the womb? Maybe, our cognitive development goes through an “evolution” of sorts were the anatomy and physiology of our minds comparatively resembles our ancient psychic ability possessing human ancestors.

So, the question becomes can we disprove all plausible explanations, hypothesis, and theories regarding psychic ability. Not can we prove psychic ability exists. In addition many skeptics spend their entire lives trying to prove that psychic abilities do not exist rather than trying to disprove their own explanations, hypothesis, and theories about its non-existence. This type of objective scientific inquiry is tainted with bias and must not be considered credible.

Only when all the possible plausible explanations, hypothesis, and theories have been tested subjectively using the scientific method and disproved can any true scientist or skeptic state with 95% confidence that psychics and human psychic abilities do not exist.

Alok Jagawat asked:


 

It is quite late in the night while I am writing the second part of this article series.

This incident took place near Alwar. Alwar is a district which lies on NH-8 from Jaipur to Delhi. You have to take a side road towards Sariska en-route to Alwar.  This route is famous for notorious activities of ghostly entities. This was not known to me.

I actually belong to Rajgarh which is a small town of Alwar district. My great grandfather was the “Riyasatdar” of Rajgarh.  He was the chief of the land of ‘Rajagarh’ and was responsible for revenue extraction from the area. He was married four times with every wife alive and living with him. It was the will of the God that he has only two sons. They             were born to the last wife and one of them Thakur.Kishan singh ji Baraith was my grandfather.

My grandfather was a devotee to God and never liked the idea of ‘Lagan’ or revenue as it was unlawful. So he left my Great Grandfather Thakur. Ratan  Singh ji at a very tender age. I am telling you all this because my whole narration is related to this.

My grandfather then came to Alwar. The king of Alwar Shri.Sawai Singh Ji knew my grandfather and was aware of his lineage. So he offered him the job of “Ziladar” in irrigation department. He also gave him a big fort to live. This “Haveli’ belonged to brother- in -law of Alwar “his highness”. This fort or palace was believed to be haunted and people nearby even warned my Grandfather about it.

My grandfather was a staunch devotee of Lord Hanuman, (An Indian deity related to power and Chastity}. He was never afraid of anything and decided to live in the same palace. My father and uncles were born in that palace and I wanted to see it. I have never seen it before. I was informed by my uncles that most of it had ruined. But contrary to the belief of my father and uncles, it did not dampen my hopes. I wanted to photograph everything and wanted to keep it as a memory. So Alwar visit was a visit to my ancient Lineage.

I was accompanied by my cousin brother Rajeev, and his wife. My wife was also with us. We have to leave Jaipur at about 5:00 am in the morning. When I woke up, I felt a sudden change of mind. I was bit perturbed without any reasons.  I was not sure that whether I should go or not. I woke up my wife to take a second opinion. According to her I should have informed my cousin about the sudden shift of my plans.

I called my cousin who was still asleep. He told me that he is ready to go and will soon come to my house. However, there was a strong feeling that I should not go which I resisted.

I did not take my son with me who was two years old. This is because I was not aware about the route and did not want any trouble.  Here I must tell you that Alwar route passes through dense Sariska forest and several ancient towns. Most of this route is deserted and there are no facilities on the road.

The car we took was my own car which was brand new and was hardly driven. We set on drive at around 6:30 AM. It was a pleasant morning with clouds. So the temperature was normal. (Usually temperature is high in Rajasthan).

We were moving along while chatting to each other. The route to Alwar passes through, Sariska, Pandupol, Brhithari Ji and Bhangarh.  We were amazed to see lot of elephants while we were hardly out of the town. They were around seventy in number. I was happy as I took it as a good omen. Here I must tell you that elephants are considered to be related to Trunk headed God Ganesha. In Indian myths Ganesha is a God, who is worshipped before every God. He reconfirms auspiciousness of every motive and act. It is good to see his symbol at the start.

We had hardly driven sixty kilometers when we saw that the road was blocked. There were some people on the road. A tall man was standing in the center and was guiding others. I came out of the car and saw a huge thick pipeline on the road. The tall man was clad in Saffron colored clothing and was a Sadhu or priest.  I inquired of what was happening. He informed us that there is a prayer ceremony in the temple nearby and he needed some water. So he requested us to wait for few minutes. I inquired about the temple. I was informed that it was an old temple and was also offered a visit. So we parked our car on the side of a wall and entered the temple premises. To my surprise it was the temple of My “Ishtha” Shri.Thakurji. I was really happy to see my beloved God inside. All of us prayed there for four to five minutes. The priest offered us tea and we sat down over there. (All the time, I have a strange feeling that I should not go. But after praying to my beloved God, I just shunned that idea.)

The head priest requested us to stay there and take meals as well.  We were surprised as he hardly knew us.  Away from all this, I was happy as I thought that my visit is been stamped by my beloved God. While all the time I was actually wrong. Something else was happening. He was warning us not to go further.

 

We quietly refused his offer and took a leave. We have to visit a place called Madhri which was a small village on the route. It was the home town of a great astrologer whom we wanted to meet. According to the instructions I entered a narrow lane which was supposed to take us to the residence of this old astrologer. I was driving very carefully and with great precaution. The street was very narrow and suddenly I heard a loud bang!

I was surprised of what could have possibly happened. Suddenly we were surrounded by lot of villagers. All of them were shouting at us. I acted very calmly and plead for my mistake. My car actually struck against a motor bike and the bike fell down. I immediately offered a compensation as it was my mistake. This calmed most of the villagers. When I came out of the car I was really shocked. The bike was all right. To my surprise the bumper of my car was lying on the road. It was really strange. How could have that happened with that strong part of the car and that too at such a slow pace.

However there was no choice. I unlocked the back gates of my car and kept the bumper inside. My wife and my sister in law were very uncomfortable. We all were taken aback with the strange turn of events. But even after this we continued our journey.

We reached the residence of the astrologer. It was a small hut and carried a big dense tree in the center of the premise. The building nearby was tattered and gave a haunted look. We were all depressed when we came to know that the old man has left the mortal world. But since we have already reached the place, I was looking at all the rooms which were empty. A certain room of that area was closed. I looked into it through a window and there was the second surprise of the day.

I saw a very beautiful altar and idol of my God “Shree Krishna”. I opened the gate which was not locked. All of us prayed over there. Deep inside my heart I prayed for safety.

I was happy as I believed that my God was helping me and is telling me to go ahead. I was again wrong.

We came back to the car which I have to reverse as we have to go back. I moved the hand brake and immediately my car rushed back with a strong motion. I forgot that my car was parked on a high place. It was only a few inches from a wall when I applied the brakes. My heart was pounding with all force, and all of them outside, were also surprised. I must tell you that I am a very experienced driver. I have never even got a scratch on my car before this.

We were not sure what was happening. But what so ever it was, it wasn’t a very happy thing.

After this we were all very conscious and alarmed. Frankly, I was not scared as I have a very strong faith in my God. I pray to God daily and strongly believed in “Yogash Shemam Vaha Mayam”.

We continued our journey. On the way we have to reach Brihat Hari Ji. Brihat Hari was actually a king who became a Saint later on. He left all his riches for the name of God. His name is so common near Alwar that it is often used as a greeting.

We reached Brihathari ji within one hour. By that time my whole body was showing signs of fatigue. There was a strange itch like thing on my whole body especially near my neck. There was one more thing which was alarming. I could feel that I have no mind of my own. This was same with my wife. She had the same strange feeling. We somehow reached the Brihathari Temple which was very beautiful.  Despite of this I could barely enjoy the scenery surrounding the great temple. I could feel something lacking.

We offered water to Shivlingam in the front and then prayed to king brihathari. I was deeply in prayer as I was not at all happy with my condition. There was a certain loss of senses.

After praying to this great king we left the place to go further. All this time me and my wife had a strong feeling that we should not go further. Still we traveled further to reach “Silli Seth”. This is the largest manmade lake in Asia and it is beautifully surrounded by green mountains and hill tops.  It is on the foot of a great hill which overlooks the water body and carries a hotel and restaurant. To enjoy boating, you have to go all the way down to the water body to catch a boat. We decided to do boating.

The temperature was still hot and I had to put some cloth on my head to avoid the strong Sun. I could not enjoy it much. I was not feeling good. After thirty minutes of ride we decided to go back. I was feeling very hungry and we climbed the stairs to reach the restaurant. I ordered some food for everybody. While sitting at the table I felt I am completely senseless. I could not understand what was happening. I went to the loo. There was some strange bitter taste in my mouth. This, when I checked was my own blood which was coming from inside my mouth. It was shocking and I was really alarmed. Suddenly I felt a complete loss of senses and I could not even see. There was a complete black out for fifteen to twenty seconds. I regained my strength to come out of the loo. I reached my relatives and told them that I cannot go any further.

After lot of persuasion we all agreed to this. By this time everybody was having some strange feeling. But on our way back my brother insisted that we are already inside the Alwar city.

He said that our whole traveling will be useless if we did not visit our own past. It was definitely not a good idea. But we all agreed to this, not so good idea. We reached Alwar and went straight to “Rani Sati Temple”.  This temple was situated at a walking distance from my grandfather’s palace.

“Rani-Sati’ refers to queen Sati. Sati is a tradition which was followed in ancient India. According to this a lady who loves her husband dies with her husband while submitting herself to the fire lit for her husband’s dead body.

Rani Sati was actually a **********. According to the legends, when the king died every queen was asked to submit herself to the fire. Since none of them have the courage to do so, a ********** who loved this king very much came forward. She dressed herself in her best clothing and entered the fire. There after she was titled as a queen and a huge temple was built for her which was known as ” Musi Maharani ki Chatri”.

We visited this great place to pay homage to that great lady who once loved a man she was not even eloped to. It is really hard to imagine that sense of love and attraction. Somebody has truly said:

“In love it is only you, there is no ‘me’”

After this we walked towards the palace. This palace has a good front which is still intact. It has three large squares with a huge gate for entrance to each square. Each square is surrounded by rooms and galleries. Every room is connected through this gallery. The First Square and rooms were still in good shape. Rest of the squares was totally shattered. My grandfather used to live at the second square.

The entrance to the second square was closed by a wall but I could still see a hole through it. I entered the hole and passed to the second square. I could see the condition was not good. Every inch of that place was scary. I took some photographs over there and then came back to the front. There were several families who were living near the entrance. One of the ladies in that family recognized my grandfather. She was extremely happy to see us. She took us to her room above. Her son offered us tea and snacks and she completely lost herself in the old stories that surrounded that palace.  There was a story that this palace had a secret tunnel which goes below the palace. It is believed that this tunnel is a passage to a big treasure.

It is believed that one man entered this tunnel once, but he was not seen thereafter. My grandfather who was pious man, was alarmed and he cemented the entrance of the tunnel and planted a neem tree

 

Over there. He was spiritual person and knew that someone was kept to guard that treasure. It is believed that people employed ghosts and snakes to guard their treasures in ancient India. These entities were locked to the place through some Talisman. The snakes were of special varieties that can live very long. The old lady had often seen strange lights near the tree during night time.

My grandfather also informed us that the ghost of an old man also used to reside over there. He was a silent spirit and never harmed anybody. He often came to the dreams of my grandmother and told her that they should always remain pious and should not allow any unholy activity inside the palace. He also warned my grandmother that he lives near the roof top and nobody should be allowed to enter the “square” where he resided. Once my aunt forgot the warning and reached to roof top. She was immediately thrown back by some secret force and fell all the way to the ground floor. Strangely she was not hurt despite of a strong fall from the fourth floor.

 The old lady has also seen that spirit and once she was also thrown away from the first floor. The spirit was angry with her as she has done something unholy.

To my surprise I found the idol of my beloved God in her temple. It was evening hours, the hours which are considered highly auspicious for offering prayers.  I immediately washed my hands and feet to offer prayers to the God. I saw it as an opportunity to worship my beloved. It was an opportunity as I actually use to carry his idol with me while traveling. During this visit I was sure that we could come back within a day and so I have avoided his idol. Here I was getting a chance to worship him at a time which is considered auspicious for daily prayers. I considered myself very fortunate. It was the sign that he was with me. He was there to protect me.

We took the leave and were passing through the old market. I regained the same strange feeling. Within moments we were crossed by a rickshaw rider and before I could do anything he scratched my car from the right side. Strangely he did not even look at me. My wife informed me that the right of the car has got a big scratch mark as it passed along the metal guard of the rickshaw. I was hardly out of this, when all of a sudden I saw a boy in front of my car. I immediately applied the brakes. He was just an inch away from my car.

 

A few seconds more and he could have been bashed by the car. His cycle was smashed to pieces. We were all surprised by this. I reversed my car. His cycle was totally crushed.

I came out of the car to see what actually happened. The young boy was totally out of senses. He could not understand that how he came in the front of the car. He could not even speak.  All this was very strange. I felt that somebody was forcing us not to leave the place. Somebody we could not see.

Car was also showing strange signs. It was not picking up acceleration despite of full force on pedal. My brother has to meet somebody over there. He told us to visit a nearby temple. But every person in the car wanted to leave the place. By this time everybody was highly perturbed.

Despite of this feeling we visited the temple. This was the last surprise of the day. The temple was an old temple of Thakurji.  It was the “Aarti” time.  The time, which is considered very auspicious; for visits to the temples.   We were greeted by the ‘Pujari’ or the head priest. I bowed with all dedication. This was out of fear, love and partly because of the gratitude, for I was still alive.  After half an hour we took the leave. I requested and prayed for safety.

The vehicle was still showing strange signs. No acceleration.  Due to my brother’s ignorance we took another root for Jaipur. There were no lights. It was a Full moon day and I could barely see the road because of the rain that started pouring. Car was not picking up acceleration and it was very dangerous course. Some areas near that highway were famous for bad activities and despoil.  There was no equipment for protection and bunch of images were flashing through my mind. Most of them were of those demons and bad guys that I have seen in some thrillers, I do not remember. I am not a coward, but I could not bear a scratch to my wife or relatives. What so ever was the situation was; I kept on driving? 

We reached Sikandra and suddenly my Vehicle picked up acceleration. The road also changed with good amount of lights on both sides. There was no strange feeling. Everything was as clear as a path in Broad day light.  I reached my home after two hours.

Whenever I look back upon the whole incident, I could barely understand what happened over there on that day. There are no heads and no tails. But still, I cannot forget that strange feeling that grasped all of us; I cannot forget that I was supported by God very closely. I imagine what could have happened, if there was no God, or say I never loved him. I knew from inside my heart, that he was walking with me all the time.

I am not the only one who has figured that heaviness on that route.  That whole route and place have a long history of tragic deaths and drastic accidents.  Some negative energy wanted to do something bad to us, but all the time it was stopped by some positive energy. This feeling often sends a chill down my spine. After this incident, my faith in God has multiplied nth number of times. I believe that he is always there for his Bhaktas.

 

Alok Jagawat 

 

 

 

Martha Jette asked:


Miranda Clearwell of southeast Missouri was just a child when she first heard voices in her head and realized that there were “sparkling figures” around her or following her.

As she grew into a young girl, it became so natural to her that she thought everyone experienced these kinds of things.

“I just thought they were extra friends for me that I couldn’t see or talk to directly,” said Miranda.

But she soon learned that her friends at school didn’t have similar experiences and she found it very upsetting. In fact, her friends warned her that such entities must mean trouble and she should be careful.

“For a time, I thought I must be crazy,” Miranda explained. “None of my friends knew anything that could help me.” In fact she added, many of them “became upset with me.”

Her experiences began as a youngster, when she realized the presence of the entities and that things in her room would move around as well. Miranda said she could also sense a lot of negative energy in the family home and it would grow unusually dark.

“Even when the sun was coming through (a window), the house could become dark,” she explained adding that this frightened her. “That was when I started feeling a presence very strongly and then there were multiple presences.”

While most of the house gave her an eerie feeling, she said her own room felt “warm and safe.”

The first time Miranda actually saw a “sparkling figure,” she was 19 years old and it sat right on her bed!

“I could see his outline,” she said adding that he appeared to be about six feet tall and “wearing clothing that fit somewhat close to his body. It looked like smoky water,” but was easily recognizable as a man. It also looked like he was “radiating some of it… I couldn’t see anything within the outer lines of the body, so I didn’t see a face or eyes or colors. He was all clear.”

Miranda said he walked like a normal person and then “sat on the edge of my bed facing me, while I was standing up in the center of the room. Once I spotted him, I moved close enough to sit on the bed in front of him.”

At this point, she was very excited, because she had never actually seen a spirit before. She was also quite afraid.

“Of course, my heart was beating out of my chest because it was a little bit scary, but in a miraculous way.”

“When I raised my hands in front of me, he raised his own and touched them to mine.”

Miranda said his hands felt “almost like fuzzy liquid.”

“He stayed like that until my eyes blurred with tears and he was gone.”

Miranda said she was “surprised by the experience, but his simple gesture was very touching…”

Since then, she has seen as many as seven of these figures in her room at one time, but the problem is: she isn’t sure what or who they are or why they keep coming around her. Miranda said she has spoken to the entities and upon a number of occasions, asked questions and received the answers in her mind – answers that were later confirmed.

Miranda explained that as a child, there was only the foundation of a house sitting on the property next to her home. She often played in that area and did not know at the time that the house had burned down.

“Me and my little brother used to walk around that lot all the time and we’d find useless things like rusted washers, metal silverware and plenty of burned things.”

Just this past week, she learned from her mother that an elderly couple had lived there.

“The wife was considered an invalid and was stuck in a wheelchair. Her husband set the fire and left her inside knowing that she couldn’t get out. My mother said she died in that fire and that the man went to prison for murder.”

I suggested that perhaps these two people might be among the many spirits that seem to cling to her. Perhaps that dark entity is the husband. However, Miranda’s story suggests that she may also have spirit guides or even angels close to her. Not only do they help her with her problems, but they also bring her comfort.

“I feel so attached to these spirits now,” she said.

Her only desire is that she would like to learn to communicate more effectively with her visitors from the other side. If anyone has suggestions for her, please let me know.

As well, Miranda said the presence of spirits around her has caused her to re-evaluate her personal beliefs. As a child, she was raised as a Christian to believe that with death, one goes to either heaven or hell.

“That was what everyone wanted me to believe,” she said. “I was never raised to believe that souls could still wander the earth after death, so it was startling to see that something was following me around.”

Now, Miranda says she believes strongly in life after death.

“I do believe that the soul is eternal and I also believe that if a person still has something they need to accomplish, God could allow them to remain behind for a while.”

She also thinks God might allow certain souls to remain earthbound for a time “to watch over their relatives or friends that still live. Nothing is impossible with God, so my faith allowed me to accept this possibility of spirit helpers without much trouble.”

Although she admitted that the spirit realm is still somewhat of a mystery to her, Miranda said she knows that everything “happens for a reason and that not one living person can place rules on how a human soul must behave after death.”

To sum it up, the 21-year-old added, “I still believe in a final resting place, but maybe some spirits are allowed to make a few stops along the way.”

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STORIES NEEDED:

If you have had a paranormal experience or know someone who has please contact me, as I would love to hear about it and perhaps feature the story in an upcoming issue of my monthly newsletter entitled Glimpses of the Paranormal. Please write to: marthajette@gmail.com. Aside from ghosts and hauntings, I also accept stories on related subjects such as witches, UFOs and crypto zoology, ESP, angels, past lives and reincarnation. Please put “Story for Newsletter” in the subject line.

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Joel Owens asked:


Your house is your sanctuary. You live in it, spend most of your life in it and deem it as the only place in the world where you can truly be yourself. Like a castle to a king, your house is your domain. Your house is where you rule and conquer. But what if it turns out that there are other unseen creatures of the night roaming in your said dominion?

It is rather difficult to mark a line between a door being shut because of strong wind and a door slammed by ghostly spirits. Though random events such as this could already spell out ghost hauntings, true ghost hauntings are still rare occurrences. The fact that it is so rare might actually make you a bit paranoid whether the eerie sounds you’re hearing, figures you’re seeing and the windows suddenly closing are really signs that your house is being haunted by scary creatures of the night.

To help you ease that paranoia, I’ve listed some signs that determine whether your house is haunted. Read them and determine whether you have experience such.

1. Unexplained Noises

You are all alone, but you hear strange foot steps outside your room. Not only that, voices of children playing in the garden can be heard, as well. The weird thing about it is that when you looked outside, no one was in sight. The sound differs from time to time. Sometimes, you hear the sounds of chains clanking or a faint cry of a woman during the night. You can’t explain where these strange sounds come from, and most of all, they bring chills up and down your spine.

2. Furniture Being Moved

You placed your coffee table beside your favorite couch. For some strange reason you can’t wrap your head around, you would walk into the living room next morning to find the coffee table moved to a different spot. You thought someone in your family must have done it, so you pass it up and let the strange event go. Just when you think it’s over, you wake up one day and open your eyes to find pieces of furniture all over the place in random spots. Clearly, one of those creatures of the night wants to make its presence known.

3. Creepy Apparitions

You point the camera and click the button. The picture comes out perfectly with three of your friends smiling, but a blurry creature seems to be caught by your camera, as well. In another instance, you look into the mirror and see the reflection of a hazy image behind you making your knees tremble with fear. If this has happened more than twice in your house, consider the thought of seeking a paranormal expert’s help.

4. Strange Feeling of Being Watched

You don’t see anything strange or hear anything spooky, but you always feel like someone is watching for you. The thought is enough to send chills up and down your spine. This usually happens in a particular part of the house.

5. Animals’ Weird Behavior

Your pets suddenly act in a strange way. Your dogs bark at no one and have that scared look to their actions. According to paranormal experts, animals have a way of knowing and sensing whether there are evil creatures of the night co-habitating in your house.

These are just some of the signs of a haunted house. If you’re unlucky, stranger and more damaging events might occur in your domain. Unfortunately, not everyone is sensitive to these signs of abhorring ghost hauntings.

So what do you do when you have already deduced that your house is haunted? Don’t waste time and call a paranormal expert to appease the spirits in a more appropriate way. Do so immediately and don’t wait for the ghosts to be destructive. This might seem surreal, but it is a sure way to put to rest the creatures of the night wanting to dominate your house.

It’s now time for you to ask yourself, “Is my house haunted?”

Nick Sanders asked:


Most students study abroad with the intent of making new friends and immersing themselves in a new culture and new community. However, many students end up forming a group with other students from their home country and not making the most of the brilliant opportunity they have. The first thing to do when you decide to study abroad is to work on gaining self confidence, and read some news reports on the country you are going too. Give yourself some background knowledge and something to talk about. Then, make sure you know enough of the language to have conversations with others.

When you reach your destination country, remember that you are going to have to put effort into making friends. Local students may seem standoffish, but are probably just waiting for you to break the ice. The first group of students to start with is other international students studying with you. These are students in your situation, and will want to make friends too. You can make a variety of friends from different countries in this way, and find people to socialise with and practise the country’s language with.

Next, don’t presume that orientation seminars or ice breaker events are pointless, as they are there to help you make friends. Activities such as sticking your name to your head or talking about yourself for two minutes may seem daunting, but will help you make global friendships. Attend a few, and you’ll make many friends in a very easy way. Universities hold these events to encourage everyone to make friends, and they are usually tried and tested methods.

If you want to make friends with locals, you will then need to arrange social gatherings outside of university time. Make sure you are always safe and that somebody knows where you are; make sure you aren’t wandering alone, and take money and a map. Go to different surroundings, and see who you’ll meet there. You might meet friends in malls or clubs, or less obvious places such as coffee shops. Remember that as long as you are friendly and polite most people will respond positively to you, and try talking to different groups of people. Local teenagers will know the best places to hang out, but local adults will know where to get cheap or fresh food, and where student deals are available. However, make sure that you know the customs of the local area, and try not to offend anyone. Watch what you wear and say, and if you are somewhere with strong beliefs, then you should adhere to them. Cover yourself up if necessary, or take off your jewellery. If you meet a special someone, keep public displays to a minimum and research the local laws for your area. In some countries, kissing outside can gain you a caution! Your university should have information on the area if you need some, or try googling it. You will struggle to make friends if you don’t appear to respect the country’s boundaries.

Finally, there is nothing wrong with becoming friends with other people from your home country, but don’t limit yourself. While you will probably become best friends with someone who is at your Uni, you will miss out on a lot of the pleasures of being a student studying abroad if you don’t make the most of the social opportunities it gives you. Remember to use your language skills, take photos and make friends, and you’ll have a brilliant time.

Dror Klar asked:


The question of where dead people go when they die is one that many people think they already know. According to some they do not go anywhere. At least some of them do not. It seems that many of the dead choose to remain right where they were. Here with us. Now that is a real scary thought that has been truly believed by some throughout history.

The idea that there are living people among us that can actually communicate with the dead is considered a fact by some and ridiculed at the same time by others. It all comes down to whether you believe that there is some sort of life after death or not. There are many things about life and death that are as yet unable to be proven one way or the other and whether there is life, ghostly or otherwise, is still considered a mystery to most.

Despite the fact that this age old question can not be factually answered for sure, the number of people who watch the many popular paranormal television shows are millions. Evidently whether we believe or not, we still enjoy entertaining the possibility of life after death.. Paranormal shows about ghosts and those who communicate with them are some of the top ranking at the moment.

Recently the top two network programs, Ghost Whisperer and Medium have a tremendous viewing audience. These shows are strictly fictional and everyone who watches them knows this. They are loved simply for their entertainment value and the people who play the main characters on the shows, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Patricia Arquette.

There are other shows that are supposedly based on real encounters that people claim to have had with the dead. Psychics and mediums that are believed to have the ability to communicate or locate these spirits are commonly used in these shows.

Some of the most watched shows are on cable and satellite channels. If you watch the Biography channel, you can watch The Unexplained. This show deals with paranormal stories and other topics of interest such as alien life forms and unidentified flying objects.

On the Science Fiction channel you can see Ghost Hunters. These seekers of the dead visit places that people are reportedly having encounters with ghost. These places they visit can be historical ones or more ordinary residences where paranormal activity is believed to be taking place..

On the Travel channel, the places where their spiritual activities take place are usually in a historical setting of some sort. Most Haunted is also one of the most watched paranormal shows on television right now. There are other ones that have not been mentioned here that you might want to check out as well if you like these type of programs.

Denise Villani asked:


The Queen Mary has been a permanent feature in Long Beach, California for a couple fo decades and is one of the most famous cruise ships of all time. The ship has become a hotel, museum and popular tourist attraction, and the historic ship is internationally recognized and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Besides the living guests, the ship is said to play host to several ghosts. It has been speculated that the Queen Mary might be one of the most haunted places in the world. Reports say that as many as 150 known spirits have taken up residence and lurk in various locations all around the ship.

The Queen Mary sailed her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. Built in Scotland to be used as part of a two-ship express service from Southampton to Cherbourg to New York, the Queen Mary is 1,000 feet long, and in her day was said to be bigger, faster and more powerful than the Titanic. She also held the record for the fastest-ever North Atlantic crossing. The historic ocean liner’s passengers included the most celebrated people of the time, including royalty, top entertainment figures and important world leaders.

At the start of World War II in 1939, luxury travel stopped and the ship was turned into a carrier ship that was used by allied forces to carry troops from March of 1940 to September of 1946. It was during this time that she would become known as “The Grey Ghost”. By the end of World War II, the ship had carried more than 700,000 troops, traveled over 500,000 miles and played a significant role in almost every major Allied campaign. She also survived a collision at sea, set the record for carrying the most people ever on a floating vessel (16,683), and participated in the D-Day invasion.

When the war ended, the Queen Mary was refurbished and started up her elegant cruises again in July, 1947, with weekly service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York. By the early 1960′s, the popularity of transatlantic cruises greatly decreased due to the increasing affordability of air travel. The ship attempted to revive its popularity, but without central air condtioning, outdoor pools, or other amenities offered on most other cruise ships, the attempt was unsuccessful.

In 1967, the Queen Mary was pulled from service and was sold to the city of Long Beach, California, to be used as a maritime museum and hotel. On December 9, 1967, she made her final voyage to Long Beach.

During her 60-year history, the Queen Mary was the site of 49 reported deaths, opening the doorway for potential spirits to haunt her. Reported hauntings include a young crewman in the engine room, swimmers in the first-class pool, a man in black, and a woman in blue. Some of the Queen Mary’s most haunted places include the propeller box, engine room, boiler room, cargo hold and first class swimming pool.

One of these hauntings is thought to be the spirit of John Pedder, a fireman in his late teens who was crushed to death by a watertight door in 1966 during a routine drill. Unexplained knocking has been heard around the door, and a tour guide reported she saw a figure dressed in dark clothing as she was leaving the area where the young man had been killed. She saw his face and recognized him from his photographs. He was dressed in blue coveralls and sporting a beard. The young man has often been seen walking along Shaft Alley before disappearing by door number 13. This famous door was used in the filming of the Posiedon Adventure and has reportedly crushed at least two men during the ship’s history.

The first-class swimming pool seems to be a hot spot for ghostly encounters. Wet footprints mysteriously appear even though there’s not a drop of water in the pool. These footsteps lead from the deck of the pool to the changing rooms. Women in vintage bathing suits are occasionally seen stopping by for a swim ,even though the pool has been closed for more than 30 years. There have also been reports of seeing the spirit of a young girl carrying her teddy bear along with disembodied voices, laughter and splashing sounds.

In the second class pool area the spirit of another little girl named Jackie is often been seen and heard. The girl drowned in the pool during the ship’s sailing days and doesn’t seem to want to move on. Her voice and the sound of laughter has been captured in this area.

In the room that was used as the third class playroom, there have been reports of the sound of children crying in the nursery room. There is also a report that a single baby’s cry has been heard. This crying is thought to be that of an infant boy who died there shortly after he was born.

In some of the first-class staterooms there have been reports of a tall, dark haired man wearing a 1930′s style suit showing up in various places. In addition to sightings of the man, the faucets and lights get turned on in the middle of the night, and phones ring in the early morning hours but no one is ever on the other end of the line.

There are several other reports of sightings about the ship including a beautiful young woman in an elegant white evening gown who dances alone in a shadowy corner of the salon, which was once used as the ship’s first-class lounge. Another mysterious woman in white has been seen close to the front desk. She will usually disappear behind a pillar.

Other phenomena that has been reported throughout the ship include the sounds of knocking, doors slamming and high pitched squeals, drastic temperature changes, and the recurring smells of another time.

The Queen Mary has been investigated by a number of paranormal professionals, printed publications, television shows like Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted, and several others. In addition to portions of the movie “The Poseidon Adventure” being filmed there, the X-Files filmed a 1998 WWII era episode about a time warp in the Bermuda Triangle aboard the ship. That was a great episode – it was called “Triangle” – you should check it out if you missed it!

On the Ghost Hunters episode, what was thought to be a fantastic paranormal event caught on tape turned out to be not so fantastic as it appeared someone had tampered with the video camera. So is the Queen Mary really haunted or not? The Ghost Hunters are heading back out there in February of 2008 to see if they can find out. Hopefully there won’t be any tampering this time and they can capture some evidence to support all the claims of paranormal activity on the Queen Mary.