The crystal ball meets science

I've mentioned Coast to Coast AM before, but my blog on all things supernatural would be rather poor if I didn't revisit this clearance-house of all things strange. Coast to Coast airs nightly on many radio stations from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (PST) and covers nearly any topic of the weird you could think of. Aliens, ghosts, speculative science, they have it all!

On tonight's show, the host, George Noory, will be talking with two members of the Merlin Project, this playfully named project uses both astrological-type study with modern advanced mathematics to predict periods of intense activity and what might occur during those periods. They claim to have a success rate of near 80% and also claim they have even been approached by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, in 1995, for advice on predicting incidents of terrorism. The study they submitted to the Pentagon, predicted a "significant event" in the Fall 0f 2001 (I'm sure we can guess what that was).

The group has previously appeared on a variety of shows, such as the NBC Nightly News, and several appearances on Larry King Live. Could computer technology be powerful enough to see patterns (if they do actually exist in a predictable way) in human culture and history? It's certainly an interesting idea, but some might argue that, much like how critics say many "psychics" operate, the predictions given are vague to the point where "accurate predictions" can be seen, even where they don't exist, by those who are truly hoping this kind of thing could be true.

Strange Beasties

The Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, chupacabras, mothmen, the Jersey Devil and Mongolian death worms. These are just a few of the creatures studied by Cryptozoology; the study of hidden animals. Here in Maine we had a somewhat recent brush with cryptozoological fame about a year and a half ago.

In August of 2006, a corpse was found that matched the description residents of the area had been reporting; of a bluish-furred dog-like creature. Many had reported hearing eerie howls and seeing glowing eyes in the weeks preceding the finding of the creature's corpse.

Laboratory testing revealed the creature was a member of the Canis family; probably a hybrid of a domestic dog breed and a coyote; but some people still are not convinced. I asked a few people around here about this, and while most thought it was just folk tale run amok, two firmly believed the government forged the test results and was hiding something. Belief is a powerful thing.

Caption: A photo of the mysterious "dog-like creature" found in Turner, ME in Aug. 2006.

Probably my favorite cryptozoological creature is the "Mongolian Death Worm", called allghoi khorkhoi by local tribes in the desert. Now, here's a creature that didn't skimp on the scary factor. It's described as a blood red worm (in fact the regional name translates to "blood-filled intestine worm) ranging from two to five feet in length. It lives in tunnel-systems deep in the Mongolian desert and can attack physically, by spitting a yellow acid, or by electrocuting at a distance; some have even said the worm may have psychic powers and can kill simply by looking at you.

Although no hard evidence of its existence has ever been found, stories from locals in the area talk of people killed, evidence of "worm tunnels" and other sightings. In the opinion of your skeptical author; who has had more than his share of Anthropology classes, this reaffirms my belief in just how powerful the human imagination can be. How when we truly want to believe in something, when we need some way to explain the randomness and calamity of survival and success we face day-to-day, we can latch onto an idea and build a reality around it. Legend and story are contagious, and a gifted storyteller can paint an image so real...perhaps you start to forget it started as a story.

But to be fair I'll mention the other side of the argument as well. Supporters of cryptozoology point to some of its successes. Creatures like the coelacanth, giant squids, and megamouth sharks were, for a long period of time, considered to be legends or at least extinct, but have since been proven real. I may seem banal; and as if I lack a sense of adventure. Let me assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. I want to find the lost, discover the unknown, and forge ahead where mankind has only dreamed of going, but I know that one of the things you need is a strong sense of logic and reasoning; but maybe an open mind helps sometimes too.

Caption: Don't mess with the Mongolian Death Worm

A crisis of faith?

Since most of the members were a bit pressed for time, they didn't do the usual Ouija board session, but Newbie had a little more to say about his recent ghostly encounters. A few hours after my previous post, Psychic and some of the other members of the group (including "Nancy Drew" (not her real name obviously), the other journalism class student covering this club) performed a sort of "spiritual cleansing."

They claimed it worked at the time, but apparently Newbie has been since plagued by problems again. Some in the group still insist this is the work of otherworldly forces, but a couple members, carrying on a brief conversation before Psychic arrived at tonight's meeting, expressed their reluctance to follow her lead on this one. They discussed the idea that she may be making a lot of these things up, or possibly she just believes so strongly that she is subconsciously skewing the results of Ouija boards, etc. It seems Sunday's unsuccessful jaunt to the cemetery, coupled with this recent Newbie Incident has started some questioning the validity of certain matters.

Definitely some interesting drama going on; and from a personal standpoint, if I may wax editorially here for a moment, this is my general train of thought as well. As I mentioned, I try to keep an open mind and don't like to belittle others on my beliefs (I'm Catholic after all who am I to judge right?), but my dose of personal skepticism is heavy. Psychic, to me, seems socially adept at allaying fears of incorrect readings as just "the ghosts playing games with [the group]".

Only time and experience will be able to tell me more what the real story behind this matter is, and I will make every effort to keep you, the reader, informed. In more official news from the group, the Spring Fair they were asked to attend was pushed back a couple weeks and they moved this coming Sunday's investigation a couple of weeks ahead as well. However, they are planning to investigate a building here on campus (Stevens) starting at 7:30 p.m. this coming Monday, April 7th.

The following video is a bit long (just over nine minutes) but I found it pretty interesting. Stage magician and skeptic James Randi discusses famous psychic Uri Geller's "psychic powers" and how they might be simple stage magic. The last third is especially good as he discusses, and they show clips from "The Tonight Show", where Randi was asked to be an adviser to the show before Geller came on. As you can guess I'm also a big fan of Penn & Teller's "Bullshit".

Ouija boards hazardous to your health?

So there is a bit of debate going on in the campus paranormal club. The newest member, who for purposes of respectful anonymity I'll call "Newbie", conducted his first ever Ouija board reading with a few friends late last week.

The reading wasn't nearly as successful (though I suppose that depends on your definition of success) as he had hoped. During the encounter, he maintains that he was possessed or influenced by some sort of energy or entity. Since that time he has had trouble concentrating, finds no joy in activities he once loved and has flashes of odd premonition. "I feel like I can foresee things maybe half a second before they happen", he told members of his group.

Some are concerned this is indicative of stress or the like, and recommended he take a more typical approach to dealing with these feelings; but some members of the club, and Newbie himself, maintain that this is, indeed, the work of spiritual activity. His take on the matter was, "I wonder what else these powers can do for me, and what the cost of using them is?"

Remember, friends don't let friends OD on "The Ouij".


Caption: My rendition of a possible label for government oversight of Ouija boards.

Cold, wet, and creepy

Today's investigation at the cemetery near the paper mill had the team and myself slogging through damp, snowy ground in very windy mid 30 degree weather. "Sarah" the 12-year-old influenza victim that died in the 1920s and 9-year-old "Myra" were no-shows, but the investigation did have a few interesting encounters.

Club President Toby held the sensitive EVP recording machine in his hand continually imploring the ghosts "if you wish to be heard please speak into the black box in my hand," while psychic Michelle wandered the grave sites trying to pick up an extrasensory activity with the help of the two other attending members, Evan and Melissa, who also took random photos to check later for lights, or other evidence of spirits that they said occasionally appear in photographs or video footage.


Caption: UM Paranormal Investigations Club members walk toward the rear of the cemetery where the spirits they'd previously contacted through the Ouija board said they resided.

And though they were unable to locate the two female spirits they claim had spoken to them through the Ouija board, all of them at several points said they felt strange energies around certain grave sites or parts of the cemetery. The newest member of the club, Evan, repeatedly said he felt very off today and even after the investigation when the club had lunch at a restaurant downtown, he was very nervous and kept remarking how he was sensing energies in the area and that any loud noises were making him jumpy.

Personally the only thing I felt was a gradually intensifying cold sensation spreading through my body, but that could be just that the wind chill was in the 20s today and I was outside for about two hours at the cemetery. The group is already busy planning their next outings to take place next weekend (April 5th and 6th); on Saturday they are taking part in an on-campus Spring Carnival where they hope to do tarot readings, talk about their club and so on; and Sunday is a return to the town of Corinna where the group claims to have previously had many encounters with the supernatural.

Caption: Group psychic Michelle tries to get a better reading on a tombstone she said had a strange energy around it as Melissa looks on.

Are haunted sites everywhere?

Over at a website called The Shadowlands, I found a nice comprehensive listing of places that, according to some, are haunted. The website has a pretty good database of what I would call "all things strange and unexplained." Just the sort of stuff we're looking for. Under the Haunted Places Index you can search by state; I picked my own state (Maine) which has long been a haven for ghost tales and the supernatural (after all Stephen King lives about 15 miles from where I'm sitting right now).

I checked out the town I live in and what do you know? A famous haunting here on campus; I was actually surprised they just had one since it seems every other building here has a host of ghost tales attached to it, but I think they're picking the best-known for this database. Of course they did have the infamous "reappearing foot on the tombstone" in Bucksport Cemetery, but I was disappointed in that they don't seem to have any mention of the most famous haunted place from the area of Maine I grew up in.

Catherine's Hill lies along the quickest route from Cherryfield (middle of nowhere Washington County) to Ellsworth (something resembling civilization), a road most of the locals call the Black's Woods Road. The legend varies, but they all agree that decades back a young woman was somehow beheaded while traveling along the road. Hundreds have reported seeing her along the road, or even inside their vehicles for brief periods.

It's not difficult to see how the road can be spooky, especially at night. It's a desolate 20-some mile stretch through a winding, decrepit road thick on both sides with forest and occasional lakes. I've made the drive hundreds of times myself, especially during the two years I dated a girl from Lamoine, in which I was driving it nearly every night around midnight, but I have never seen anything strange myself. Plenty of deer, rabbits, and other sundry forest animals darting across the road, in front of my car, were the only heart-stopping encounters I had along Black's Woods. I even tried to "set the mood" for a ghostly encounter, keeping my radio low, tuned to the paranormal talk show Coast to Coast AM.

Perhaps tomorrow will bring better luck. That's right, stay tuned because tomorrow's update will hopefully be something special. I'll be traveling to a nearby cemetery, with members of the campus Paranormal Investigations Club, to report and take photos on their investigation. They hope to primarily prove if the messages they received, on a Ouija board, from spirits who said they were buried there, are true...but who know what else may happen when you trod upon the domain of the dead?

How did I get here...

...and where am I going? Some of you may be pondering to yourself right now, "Self, why is this jaded man of the world, known only as Jeremy, writing a web log about a topic which he carries so much skepticism toward?"

A wise person, since quoted ad nauseam for their contribution to popular wisdom, said "the truth lies somewhere in the middle." Perhaps I felt that my skepticism and commentary might balance out the passionate fervor with which believers in all things paranormal approach their topics of interest. But fear not, reader, for I am not wholly opposed to keeping an open mind when I earnestly feel someone has swayed my standing opinions.

Allow me to share a brief personal narrative. A few weeks ago while reporting, for a Mass Media class, on a Paranormal Investigations club meeting here on campus, I became, despite best efforts to maintain journalistic integrity and non-bias, part of the story. Apparently the members of the group were receiving messages from my recently-deceased father. I wasn't sure whether to be slightly offended or shocked by the conversation between them and...well spirits if you believe in that sort of thing, that followed, but it certainly gripped my attention.

And so, now that you know my brief story, I hope you'll accompany me as I delve into the world of the unexplained and mysterious. Whether I find psychics or charlatans, UFOs or swamp gas, or hauntings or just creaky floor boards, it will be a hell of a time.