Occulture and re-enchantment ties directly to the rise in amateur paranormal investigation
A review of the keynote lecture on occulture and modern paranormal investigation.
Errors in investigating: What you see is all there is
I received a personal message from a paranormal investigator who thought it was a shame I didn’t believe in the validity of spirit communication. He pointed me to a video he made that he said was the clearest responses he’s ever received in an EVP recording.
Sometimes, an alien artifact is just a rock
Paranormal investigators often lament the lack of scientific interest in anomalous or paranormal claims. Many have stated they want to contribute to a shift in thinking about these anomalies, to “prove to science” (or scientists) that “the paranormal” exists. Some want to “change the science”. None of this makes any sense, though, since science is… Read More: Sometimes, an alien artifact is just a rock »
Anti-globular convictions: Flat Earth belief explodes in popularity
The flat earth idea vies for the most alternative geological idea out there. But the spookiest part may be the suggestion that the church, scientists, the government, the media, and private businesses are all conspiring to hide the truth from the rest of civilization. Flat earth ideas have gained traction as they have become political.
Strange lights and levitating rocks at Arkansas crystal mine
Examining the claims from the owners of a crystal mine tourist site in Arkansas who say that strange anomalies, including balls of light and levitation, occur on the site.
It’s all very fuzzy: Dogman, Bigfoot, and the scent of paranormalia at CryptidCon
A trip to the first CryptidCon reveals how these mysterious monsters are represented in modern culture.
Devils Tower: UFO Bulls-eye
Devils Tower, a landmark of the Black Hills, isn’t just another chunk of volcanic rock. It is a native sacred place, an icon of cinema and UFO lore, and focus of other ridiculous alt-geo ideas.
Confessions about Confessions of Ghost Hunters
There are three books that are explicitly titled “Confessions of a Ghost Hunter” – from 1928, 1936 and 2002. There is also one called “Confessions of a Reluctant Ghost Hunter” by Von Braschler (2014) that I confess I didn’t read. A defunct Facebook page and website also of the same name appears to be related. Several… Read More: Confessions about Confessions of Ghost Hunters »
Reactions to the Darwin Awards post: Really? These are your responses?
A disappointing negative reaction came from my post on Why the Darwin Awards Must Die. Commenters were ignornant and cruel.
Why the Darwin Awards Should Die
The Darwin Awards are a commodification of callous ghoulishness that celebrates people’s death and misfortune.
The manufactured, badly-behaved Ouija demon: Zozo (Book Review)
In the classic book Psychology of Superstition, Gustav Jahoda writes that beliefs are not just in our heads, they affect our behavior, and that self-fulfilling prophecy is not uncommon in human affairs (p. 8). Many events seem trivial and unspectacular, but when placed into a paranormal context, they take on a new and enhanced meaning.… Read More: The manufactured, badly-behaved Ouija demon: Zozo (Book Review) »
Misbehaving lakes: Three water bodies that exhale death gas
In August 1986, approximately 1800 people living in a 15-mile radius of Lake Nyos in Cameroon didn’t live to see the morning, dying by suffocation from toxic gas exhaled from the bottom of the lake.
The “Stone Tape Theory” of hauntings: A geological perspective
The Stone Tape “Theory” is touted regularly as a potential explanation for residual hauntings. Is it scientific? What does a geologist think about it?
Haunted rocks: The Stone Tape theory
The “stone tape theory” is frequently used as a sciencey-sounding explanation to explain residual hauntings – appearances of images, sounds, and apparitions that do not interact directly with people. The premise is that the rock or building materials somehow record the event and play it back like a film. But they never asked a geologist about it.
Arrogant and confused, ghost and ghoul (Book Review)
I’m still doing research on the Stone Tape idea, as a paranormally-curious geologist does. I was interested in obtaining a book by T.C. Lethbridge because his name comes up repeatedly as a promoter of the concept. It’s been a tricky thing to trace the origin without having easy access to the literature in print. I’ll… Read More: Arrogant and confused, ghost and ghoul (Book Review) »
Psychometry in geology
Psychometry – the ability to measure the “soul” – was used in the mid-19th century to “read” the history of rocks. One geologists believed it could revolutionize the field as certain sensitive people could receive psychic impressions from objects.
Darvaza: Gate to Hell
The Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan is a pit formed after a mistake by exploratory drillers. Fueled by natural gas, it’s been impossible to extinguish and has been called a “gate to hell”. More appropriately, it’s been a gateway to tourist dollars.
Dowsing: Witching for water
Dowsing (water divining or water witching) doesn’t work any better than chance or through use of surface clues. So why does it still spark heated arguments and create once-skeptical converts even today? Does it still have a place in modern well drilling?
Confusing speculative “language of stone” (Book Review)
I’m researching the history of the Stone Tape “theory” of haunting for Spooky Geology. It’s something I’ve been working on in bits and pieces for several years now. I’ve watched the teleplay/movie The Stone Tape and have keyed into any mention of the idea from various paranormalists. One website mentioned that some paranormalists may have… Read More: Confusing speculative “language of stone” (Book Review) »
Fairy Stones (natural crosses)
A common twinning habit of the mineral staurolite results in cross-like crystal formations and guarantees it will be perceived as magical. It’s common in Fairy Stone State Park in Virginia.