Midnight Reflections in the Garden...

We view the world through windows of our soul. From what we see through the glass, we make decisions. Some positive, others negative. Of course, we often fail to see the clarity of the glass through which we peer. It isn't until someone wipes away the grime that we realize the fog we've lived in.

Life is all about perception. Judgments, decisions, choices, beliefs, etc. Each man and woman has free will. The hardest part of life is being yourself. Happiness might be an option, but it always has a price. One man's calamity is another's success. There's a balance, seen and unseen, in the cosmos. And a certain humor to be found in our world that too many fail to notice.

Just over a month of time separates me now from the big 3-0. Thirty years of life gone, spent dancing in a garden alongside both sweet lilies and thistles. The flora has been ever changing and not without a few pricks on thorns. Some seasons blossom with beauty; others wilt into dormancy. New growth emerges in corners long vacant as once steadfast oaks suffer from blight and crash back to the ground to rot. But it's my garden. An entire history lies beneath fallen leaves, compacted as layers of soul below the surface.

Spring is a time of change and rebirth for all life. And this is true with my own. I have much to be thankful for and many prospects on the horizon. I've survived all life has thrown at me and stepped out with humor and optimism. Friendships have faded while ghosts from the past have reappeared. Lessons have been learned. Memories and attitudes noted for future reference. The coming months hold a wealth of promise and new endeavors. While we should never forget the past, we must set our sights on what lies ahead.

And that excites me. I have so many things to look forward to in the coming months. New ventures, reunions with dear sweet friends, fascinating travels. Some hard labors are paying off while others have only begun. Sown crops are nearing harvest; new buds sprout from branches of the tree of life, eager to soar to new heights. Life is not merely about death.

But be prepared; in life (and death), we must expect the unexpected. Hurricanes come without warning, as do sudden windfalls. Sometimes, you have to stand and face the world. Neutrality isn't all it's cracked up to be. I've spent a good portion of my time blogging trying to avoid endorsements and keeping a silly view of the paranormal world. While the latter will not change (nothing in this world will stop me from finding the occasional joke in humanity), the former needs to be addressed. No more "I'm avoiding this discussion as not to step on toes". If some people are controversial, so be it. Not everyone likes everyone else. But I do like, admire, and appreciate a good many people and no one else's opinions of them will change that. It's time for me to defend those who fall into that category, for my own reasons and at my own whim.

High winds may stir dust devils in the garden of my life, but "he who stands for nothing falls for anything". And I'm still standing.

"Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar"...

Let's face it: the paranormal community can be confusing and filled with misinformation. "Ghost hunting" organizations are a dime a dozen, competing for attention, praise, and even cash. For every website offering the "facts", there is another "true" website out there telling you the exact opposite. The only certainty with the paranormal is that nothing is certain. No undeniable scientific proof of ghosts. No one piece of footage or audio verified to be a ghost. No college-degreed expert in the field with a PhD in ghosts, hauntings, and all things paranormal (sure, some people have more experience and there are a few scattered parapsychologists with degrees, but there is no true degree in "ghost hunting").

We hear a lot of things from a lot of people, amateurs and professionals, saying what they believe. Some speak from personal experience, others from books and websites they've read. There are those who claim to make contact with the deceased. Others are more scientifically-minded, carrying around enough electronic equipment to blackout a small Kansas town. The best psychics in the world are never 100% accurate; even the most tech savvy individuals don't always understand their own equipment or what it detects exactly. Yet everyone is an expert in their own mind. Everyone knows the "right way", what's "undeniably true".

And then, you delve into the muddied waters of speculation and faith-based principles. Some people label certain spirits "demons", or even practice "demonology", often needlessly frightening clients and business owners with unverifiable information biased by their religious beliefs. Another small segment of the field promise to evict a ghost or spirit from a property by "sending it to the light" or making it disappear in a puff of smoke. Still more produce "photographic evidence" which, to the trained eye, is nothing but cold breath, glare from lights, or flying dust-bunnies and mosquitoes. They fail to mention that each above-mentioned item is refutable. There's no proof of demonic entities (and using the term implies a Christian view is the only "right" answer). It's impossible to guarantee the removal of a ghost (how do you guarantee something without proof it exists in the first place; furthermore, if you're dealing with a person having a mental illness and they still "see the ghost", you're up a creek without a paddle). Many pieces of evidence can be replicated quite easily using non-supernatural means, making it impossible to prove that orb is a spirit, that misty smoke covering the lens is a phantom.

There is one person out there shedding a bit of light on the latter: Patrick H. T. Doyle. This author and paranormal investigator noticed that his YouTube promotional videos were being misinterpreted as ghosts when they were mere parlor tricks. So, Doyle set out to create a short series showing how "paranormal" footage you might find online can easily be faked or misinterpreted. Does this make him a non-believer? Hardly... just observant. In fact, he does investigate hauntings and believes he has experienced supernatural things. But what we see isn't always what we perceive. It's important to learn the difference between natural occurrences and spooks.

Here's a clip from his series... discussing the one topic that annoys me so: orbs.


Now, understand that I'm not saying there can't be balls of light seen by people or cameras (I witnessed a blue ball of light myself one night drop from the sky and rush through a field; not a likely behavior of swamp gas), but please, for the sake of humanity, people, stop calling every "orb" a ghost! Don't add fuel to the fire of paranormal paranoia. Think. Research. Educate yourself. And if you're serious about wanting to capture photographic "proof" of a ghost, put down the digital and pick up a 35mm camera. At least that was you have some hard copy that can be scrutinized by photographic experts.

Strange, But True News...

It's been a while, but here are some news snippets from the past few months collecting dust in my bookmarks. About time I did this again!

The Fork-Bending Truth...

Think the movie Push with its government psychics is a bunch of Hollywood hocus pocus? Think again. Retired Colonel John Alexander recently spoke to Maxim about his experiences with psychokinesis behind closed US Intelligence doors. His experiences made a believer out of him, though they aren't as spectacular as movie special effects. It's enough to make you want to concentrate on your cutlery.

It's Called a 'Wake' for a Reason...

Back in December, Gregory & Carr Funerals in Sydney came up with a new way to attract business. Customers purchasing pre-paid services were entered into a drawing to win an espresso machine. Coffee does tend to bring people together. Just ask any of the hundreds of coffee shops across the globe. But prizes for dying? Too bad the recipient won't have the pleasure of enjoying the brew.

Fairy Troubles...

Petersfield may not have a chance to celebrate mythology this spring. Some council members worry that the event, geared toward children to raise funds for Rainbow Trust, might promote "occult activities". Sorry, kids, we know you're gravely ill but we can't have these metaphysical displays of imagination influencing adults.

Paging Dr. Venkman...

Dan Ackroyd has let the cat out of the bag. Plans are underway for a cast reunion of Ghostbusters for a third film. According to the actor, the script is in the works with filming expected to begin this fall. Akroyd himself is a believer in the paranormal. Let's hope they don't ruin it... maybe they can give George Bush a cameo as "the ghost of Homeand Security".

It's Not Polite to Stare...

A Detroit casino billboard has people talking... and a few unnerved. The advertisement, depicting a pair of gold-colored eyes staring down from a black background shook up a few people, and has one reverend crying "Satan". "It looks like a demon glaring at you," stated Rev. James Smith of Romulus, "nobody with kids in their car should be forced to look at that. No Christian should." It's awful pompous to think the devil would find anything worth having in Detroit these days.

Who Would Jesus Arrest?

The NYPD is facing legal action for placing an officer on desk duty in 2006. And rightfully so, since Dominic Maglione's only offense is seeing a demon and promoting the "word of God". he was hospitalized in 2006 for starving himself "because he was too busy praying". Maglione, an evangelist proclaiming himself "godlike", underwent psychological examination and was found to be bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and suffering from "hyperreligiosity". I'd say these neurotic behaviors make him fit in quite well on the New York's police force.

"I Wish My Brother George Was Here"...

Some of you might remember my post last year about Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens and its resident ghost, Liberace. It's on my long list of places to investigate at some point. Hopefully in the next year or two I'll have an opportunity to have dinner there... and poke around after hours in search of the famed pianist.

The haunting did, for a time, make headlines locally in the Las Vegas area. Even the news did a segment on the hauntings. Here's a clip from a few years back:

Hoist the Mainsail...

And just like that, all 40 stories for Queer Paranormal are done. Well, with one minor exception (I have to verify one bit for one chapter with a phone call tomorrow). I still have the opening and epilogue to write, but since I've been jotting down thoughts since day one, that shouldn't be too difficult. Then it's the little details, B&B contact information, addresses for places mentioned in the book (open to the public, at least), gay psychics and investigators, and the dreaded bibliography (With my organizational skills? Good luck.).

All this should be easy to accomplish within five days. Mind you, I'll probably need to touch up some chapters as dictated (if available information allows), but I wanted to be done early to give plenty of time for that. The huge 42,000 word hump is over, though. Smooth sailing ahead. As long as there aren't any hidden hurricanes...

I also started dabbling with a short story the other night. I'm not sure how good the idea is, but then again I'm my own worst critic. At least the framework is there for me to concentrate on more after this book is in motion, one way or another. Then there are the scripts I want to tackle. Work, work, work.

You might think I'd be relieved that my workload just lightened, but I still have this anxious panic coming over me. Perhaps it's hereditary (I come from a long line of worriers), or maybe I won't be able to rest completely until my struggles are in print and out of mind. But then, the real work starts. Self-promotion.

Still, it's been a fun ride, writing about places I found on this blog, toying with the notion of writing it into a book, calling up people and having interesting conversations about their ghosts, trying to trace historical information on places with little or no written history... Sometimes, I've faltered and failed to unearth a single new thing. Other times, I've found the true history correcting past authors who were completely wrong. It's been one hell of a harrowing ride over mountainous terrain, but the worst is in the past.

Of course, I really do need to get back to blogging here and catch up on months of lost reading. And then there's that plush creature I've been meaning to make...