Mysteries Magazine U930

Vol 6 #2, Issue #21
Summer, 2008
$6.95 US/CAN
Exploring Mysteries from Modern Times to Yesteryear.
Californias
Mysterious
Blast at
Port Chicago
3
4
California
Lake Monsters
Treasure Caverns
THE PSI-SPIES OF
REMOTE
VIEWING
An Interview with the

REAL Ghost Whisperer
Californias Haunted
Cal-Neva Resort
The Underground
Temples of Damanhur
The Dangers of
Hallucinogens
Unusual UFO Photos
I S S U E #21
SUMMER,
2008
PUBLISHER, EDITOR, ART DIRECTOR
Kim Guarnaccia: [email protected]
A S S O C I AT E P U B L I S H E R
Tim Swartz: [email protected]
A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R
AND
EVENTS EDITOR
Judith Kane: [email protected]
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Ellen McDaniel-Weissler: [email protected]
f
COLUMNISTS
Michael Lohr
Jaye Beldo
Kenaz Filan
Janice Oberding
Michael Newton
Richard Mackenzie
Charles Rammelkamp
l
F E AT U R E W R I T E R S
Louis Proud
Bob Curran
Andrew Hind
Preston Dennett
j
REVIEWERS
Ken Mondschein
M. Wayne Cunningham
g
PROOFREADERS
Alma Dizon
Jocelyn Comendul
Published and printed in the United States of America. Mysteries Magazine, Volume 6 #2, Issue #21
is a publication of Phantom Press Publications, ISSN #1537-2928, and published four times a year
in the U.S. and Canada. Copyright 2008 Phantom Press Publications, PO Box 490, Walpole, NH
03608 USA. All rights reserved. No work may be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the editor. Correspondence should be addressed to: Kim Guarnaccia, Editor, Mysteries
Magazine, PO Box 490, Walpole, NH 03608 USA, email: [email protected], web:
www.MysteriesMagazine.com or call (603) 352-1645.
M YSTERIES M AGAZINE ,
ISSUE
#21
WWW.M YSTERIES M AGAZINE . COM
Contributors
Preston Dennett is a field investigator for the Mutual UFO Network
(MUFON), ghosthunter, paranormal researcher, and the author of 11
books and numerous articles on UFOs and the paranormal. He has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs and his research has been presented in the LA Times, the LA Daily News, and the Dallas Morning News. He
has taught classes on various paranormal subjects and lectures across the
United States.
Dr. Bob Curran was born and raised in Ireland
where folktales and folk traditions were strong.
Since then he has travelled in a number of
countries and holds a doctorate in both history and psychology. He has written a number
of books in several languages and acts as advisor on cultural matters to several Government
Committees in Northern Ireland. At present,
he lives with his wife and young family in
Northern Ireland.
Louis Proud is a resident of Melbourne,
Australia. An avid writer/researcher, whose
interests include occultism, parapsychology,
and ufology, he has written numerous articles on these and other unconventional
topics. His work has appeared in Fate, New
Dawn, and The Australasian Ufologist.
Andrew Hind is a Canadian freelance writer
with an interest in history and the supernatural. He is the co-author, with Maria Da Silva,
of Strange Events of Ontario and Ghost Town
Stories of Ontario and they have three new
books due to appear in 2009: Ontarios
Haunted Capital, the Ghosts of Niagara-onthe-Lake, Ghost Town Stories of Ontario, and
Strange Events of Niagara.
Caveat: The opinions of the contributors to Mysteries Magazine are not necessarily those of the editors of Mysteries Magazine. However, Mysteries Magazine welcomes helpful criticism or comments on any of the articles contained herein. Please note that we reserve the right to edit all submissions.
We also may occasionally use photos and illustrations that have been placed in the public domain. As it is not always possible to identify the copyright holder, if you claim credit for something we have published, please let us
know, so that we can acknowledge you in the following issue.
ISSUE
#21
The Best
Paranormal
Talk Radio
on the Web
Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EST
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faith, Baker slowly begins to take his life
back in this touching and inspiring story.
Available at your local bookstore,
on www.amazon.com, or at
www.DavidBakerSpiritMedium.com
6
ISSUE
#21
Mysteries
Issue #21
June-August, 2008
Feature Articles
53 T H E M Y STERIOUS S UB TE RRANE AN
R E ALM S
OF
C ALIF ORN IA
By Bob Curran
The myth of Californias underground realms, whether containing strange creatures, fabulous treasures, or traces of long vanished civilizations, both intrigues and fascinates us. But
do such myths have any basis in reality?
60 T H E M YSTERIOUS B LAST
AT
C ALIF ORNIA S P ORT C H IC AGO
By Andrew Hind
On July 17, 1944, a blast wiped out an entire port facility and left a crater 20 meters
deep and 200 meters wide in the river bottom. Buildings in Port Chicago town, two
miles distant, suffered severe structural damage and tremors measuring 3.5 on the
Richter scale were recorded as far away as Nevada. In the days after, newspapers quoted
people who reported seeing a mushroom cloud rising above the port. Today, this description sounds eerily like a nuclear explosion. But the Navy saw nothing particularly unusual
about the tragic incident, which occurred a year before the first atomic bomb was
dropped in Nagasaki.
65 C ALIFORNIA S L AKE M ONS TE RS

By Preston Dennett
Do unknown creatures lurk in the depths of Californias freshwater lakes? Surprisingly,

the evidence for their existence is compelling.
70 P SI S PIES : T H E H ISTOR Y
OF
R E MOTE V IE W ING
By Louis Proud
"We should take care not

to make intellect our
god; it has, of course,
powerful muscles, but
no personality."
Albert Einstein
Columns
LETTERS
TO THE
EDITOR
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
N O T E W O R T H Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
STRANGE CUSTOMS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Italian Community Secretly Builds Breathtaking Underground Temples
C O M M E N TA R Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
The Dangers of Hallucinogens
U R B A N L E G E N D S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Amusement Parks: Fodder for Scary Stories
TREASURES
FROM THE
H A U N T E D H E R I TA G E
D E E P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Ghostly Activities at Californias Cal-Neva Resort
MYSTERIES
ON
E X H I B I T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
A R C A N E C U L T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
The John Frum Movement: A South Pacific Cargo Cult
FROM
THE
S K I E S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
2008: The Year of the UFO?
C R Y P T O C O R R A L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
I N T E R V I E W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Mary Ann Winkowski: The Original Ghost Whisperer
B O O K R E V I E W S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
MUSIC REVIEWS
IN
THE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
T H E AT E R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
2008 E V E N T S L I S T I N G S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 .
T H E C L A S S I F I L E S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
8
ISSUE
#21
Letters to the Editor
Viva la Mysteries!
Hello Kim,
have found it to be a real delight
reading Mysteries magazine. Congratulations for the quality and the selection of information contained in it. Alas,
we dont have the equivalent of your publication in France where the interest in
this genre is great.
I hope long life to Mysteries and I will
remain a faithful subscriber, if further issues continue in the same vein.
MICHEL GRANGER
FRANCE
Allan v. Allen
Dear friends:
s a proud Allan (great Celtic
name and heritage) and not an
Allen, I was dismayed to see the
typos with Poe in #19 issue. You managed
to besmirch Edgar Allan Poe on the
cover, in the Table of Contents, and on
page 28 in the headline and summary. But
you redeemed yourself in the excellent article by Mac Carey.
Still love the magazine!!
A photo of a woman
with an entity release while
listening to high-frequency
tuning forks during an
Emotional Freedom session
with meridian-based therapist
Regina Rose Murphy.
For more info, visit www.
loveinactioninc.com or
call (702) 525 7312
DR. ALLAN O'GRADY CUSEO

EMAIL
Cougars Alive and Well

Hi Kim,
was reading about the Eastern
Cougar defying official decrees of
extinction in Mysteries and believe I
know why officials want the public to believe them still extinct.
In 1979 I had a friend who was a bear
guide in northern VT and NH. He often
saw cougars while hunting bear, but my
favorite story is of his neighbor. She went
out to warm up her car one sunny, cold
February day. She was sitting in the car
daydreaming when a cougar jumped up
onto the hood of her car and sprawled
across the radiator and windshield. She
waited for more than an hour for it to
leave, as she was afraid it might take one
10
great paw and smash her windshield and

go after her. She didnt know if it was
hungry or not so she just watched.
About eight years ago, I saw four-inch
cat prints in the mud near the Blackwater
River behind my house in Marlow, NH. I
thought about telling someone, but officials had not believed me when I reported seeing a wolverine in Jefferson,
NH, so I kept quiet. I thought it might

be a lynx but the tracks seemed too far
apart for a smaller cat. A couple of weeks
later, the New London newspaper featured an article about cougar sightings at
the foot of Mount Kearsarge. I was talking about it at the Senior Center and most
of the people there had seen cougar tracks
or heard the cougars. One lady believed
ISSUE
#21
Letters to the Editor

there was a cougar den on her land; the
shrill screams of the cougars at night were
horrific and scared her kids when they
were young, but she never told the officials.
Since then Ive asked naturalists, forest

rangers, and others why, with all of the
sightings, they dont believe that there are
cougars in NH. Only one responded with
a laugh that if they did, they would have
Ghost on Camera!
to legally put aside 75 square miles of

land for the cougars to inhabit as an endangered species. That would not do in
an inhabited area like western NH! Its
too expensive. Therefore, they ignore reports and even photographic evidence,
making up other stories when people
come to them.
LINDA MCCRACKEN
MARLOW, NH
Mysteries Magazine Should

be Commended, not Condemned
Dear Kim:
ordon Downs, an alleged veteran
of some unnamed war, said in
the Letters to the Editor section
of issue #20 that he wants to protest your
one-sided editorial by cancelling his subscription to Mysteries Magazine. I am a
veteran of the Vietnam War, who pulled
two tours of duty overseas, and won both
the Bronze and Silver Stars. Its my opinion that Bush started the Iraq war to loot
and plunder oil-rich nations such as Iraq,
while Iran is the stupidest thing America
ever got involved with.
With regard to Mr. Downs fear of
pending terrorist attacks on American soil
should the war end, I really doubt there
ever were any acts of terror committed
against this country in the first place, so
its not likely that any terrorists will
strike again. Rather, Mysteries Magazine,
and other publications that tell the truth
about the dirty Bushwackers fiasco, are
to be commended for telling the truth in
the shadow of an un-American Orwellian
tyranny, not condemned.
JACK GRIMES
ELKTON, MD
This eerie image of a little girl was

recently captured by 17-year-old
Matthew Summers on his mobile
phone as he and his friends were
preparing to go out. Matthew took
the picture in his sister's friend's
front room in Billingham,
Teesside, England.
12
Email your editorial comments, stories, and critiques to [email protected], or

write to: Kim Guarnaccia, Editor, Mysteries
Magazine, PO Box 490, Walpole, NH 03608
USA. We reserve the right to edit any letter published.
ISSUE
#21
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Noteworthy
Alien Microbes in Rain

Fits Historical Accounts
he strange red rains that fell in

India in 2001 that some said contained microbes from outer space,
may be consistent with historical accounts
linking colored rain to meteorites, says
doctoral student Patrick McCafferty of
Queens University Belfast, Ireland, who
analyzed 80 accounts of red rain, another
20 references to lakes and rivers turning
blood red, and 68 examples of other phenomena such as colored rain, milk, bricks,
or honey falling from the sky. Sixty of
these events, or 36 percent, were linked
to meteoritic or cometary activity. The
fall of red rain seems to have occurred
after an airburst, as from a meteor exploding in the air, says McCafferty.
Other times the odd rainfall is merely
recorded in the same year as a stone-fall
or the appearance of a comet.
The phenomena were recorded in
times and places as varied as classical
Rome, medieval Ireland, Norman Britain,
14
and 19th-century California. McCafferty

cautioned that some of these past accounts may have been exaggerated yet
the historical analysis shows the question
is complex and should be investigated
further. Unfortunately, with witnesses to

past events all long dead, McCafferty
thinks that no historical analysis will ever
settle the debate over the 2001 rainfalls
in India.
The strange events began on July 25,
2001, when residents of Kerala, a region
in southwestern India, started seeing scarlet rain in some areas. It persisted on and
off for several weeks, and scientists could
not identify the cell-like specks that gave
the water its reddish hue.
Two Indian scientists later published
a chemical and biological analysis suggesting that the specks might be extraterrestrial in origin. The two scientists
cited newspaper reports that a meteor
broke up in the atmosphere hours before
the red rain. The particles have much
similarity with biological cells but without DNA, wrote the researchers, who
also claimed the particles could reproduce in extreme heat.
However, McCafferty writes that without conclusive evidence, it is difficult to
say anything specific about Keralas red
rain, other than there appears to be a
strong link between unusual rainfalls and
meteoritic activity.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: WORLD SCIENCE
Culture Alters the Brain
t is no secret that culture influences ones food preferences and taste in music. But now
neuroscientists Trey Hedden and John Gabrieli of MITs McGovern Institute for Brain Research
say it also impacts the hardwiring of ones brain.
They asked Americans and East Asians to solve basic shape
puzzles while in a magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. They found that both groups could complete the tasks, but
American brains had to work harder at relative judgments
while East Asian brains found absolute judgments more
challenging. Previous research has shown that American
culture focuses on the individual and values independence while East Asian culture is more community-focused
and emphasizes seeing people and objects in context. But this
study provides the first evidence that these cultural differences
extend to brain activity patterns.
MICHAEL LOHR
SOURCE: PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE MAGAZINE
ISSUE
#21
HunterGatheress Journal
A COLLECTION OF FICTION, NON-FICTION AND POETRY
FROM THE MIDDLE STONED AGE, BY JOAN D'ARC & FRIENDS
HunterGatheress is a
literary journal featuring
17 authors on conspiracy,
paranormal, tall tales of
synchronicity and freewheeling fiction collected
by Joan d'Arc, Hunter
Gatheress for Paranoia
Magazine since 1992.
Learn How to Cope,

Evolve, and Expand in
our Changing Universe!
Clarisse Conner
Send $14 (incl. ship.); or for

Priority add $5; Canada $6;
all other countries add $9) to:
Clairvoyant Intuitive and

Coast-to-Coast Radio Psychic
HunterGatheress
P.O. Box 9532
Providence, RI 02940
PREVIEW CONTENTS AT:
Huntergatheress.com
For a reading, call (530) 877-3446

www.PsychicClarisseConner.com
[email protected]
By appointment only.
IRAQ WAR
CASUALTY TOTALS
AS
OF
JUNE 19, 2008
e at Mysteries Magazine are dismayed that the U.S. government is no longer releasing casualty totals from the Iraq war, and that the mainstream media is not
properly covering these totals either. So to rectify this oversight, we have decided to provide these totals to you on an ongoing basis until the war officially ends.
U.S. MILITARY & COALITION

Deaths
Wounded
4,414
41,000
(approximate #)
IRAQI
Police/Military
Reported Civilian Deaths
8,387
92,000
(approximate #)
Total # of Deaths/Casualties
145,801
For more info, visit www.iraqbodycount.org and www.icasualties.org

15
Noteworthy
SEWAGE WORKERS
Stalked By Zombie
t sounds like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster, but the staff at a

sewage works in Great Britain have
called in a ghostbuster because they are being
stalked by a zombie-like figure who roams
the underground tunnels.
Mark Wey, a sewage treatment worker, got
permission from his bosses to hire a paranormal investigator to investigate the sewage
spirits. Parapsychologist Michael Kingscote
instantly detected some sort of spirit in the
tunnel. The conclusion was that because
nearby buried electric power lines were pro-
ducing strong electromagnetic fields,

it cannot be proved that the tunnels
are haunted, as electromagnetic
fields can cause the illusion of
being haunted, as well as the feeling of being touched or watched.
Wey said that the figure, which
followed workers, often laughed at
them. They could also hear muffled conversations coming from behind the tunnel walls.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL (UK)
Roman Finds of Note

Ancient Roman Puzzle Yields New Clues
or more than 500 years, scholars have

been wrestling with an ancient Roman puzzle that would test even the most cunning
of quiz-masters. Now with a joint Italian-US team
on the case, the answer might finally be within

reach. The Forma Urbis, or Severan Marble
Plan, is a giant map of the city of Rome constructed around 200 AD by the Emperor Septimus Severus. The puzzle was fixed onto the wall
of the Templum Pacis (Temple of Peace) in the
heart of the city and symbolized both the greatness of the city and the emperors far-reaching
power. But with the decline of the empire in the
fourth century, the vast marble mapmeasuring 59 feet by 43 feet and intricately carved onto
250 separate slabsmostly disappeared.
16
The rediscovery of some of the pieces of the

map during the Renaissance ignited an interest
in reconstructing it. Now scientists at Stanford
University and Italian archaeologists have digitally scanned in all 1,186 surviving pieces and
have constructed computer programs to fit the
pieces together.
In the past year, the project has found as
many matches as scholars have found in the
past 20 years. They have completed 3D models
for all the existing fragments, a major leap forward in reconstructing a hidden side of Rome
that never stood the test of time, such as the
houses and shops where ordinary Romans
lived.
Lupercalia was held annually on February 15.

Young nobles called Luperci, taking their name
from the place of the wolf (lupa in Latin), ran
from the Lupercal around the bounds of the
Palatine, in what is believed to have been a purification ritual.
Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said
archaeologists were reasonably certain that the
newly unearthed cave could be the Lupercal.
The ancient cave was found 52 feet underground in a previously unexplored area during
restoration work on the palace of Augustus. A
camera probe later sent into the cave revealed
a ceiling covered in shells, mosaics, and colored
marble, with a white eagle at the center.
MICHAEL LOHR
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
Mythical Roman Cave Unearthed
talian archaeologists say they have found the

long-lost underground grotto where ancient
Romans believed a female wolf suckled the
citys twin founders, near the ruins of Emperor
Augustus palace on the Palatine hill.
According to mythology, Romulus and Remus
were nursed by a she-wolf after being left on the
River Tibers banks. The twin sons of the god
Mars and priestess Rhea Silvia are said to have
later founded Rome on the Palatine in 753 BC.
In Roman times, a popular festival called the
ISSUE
#21
Getting Your Manuscript

Published Will Never Be Easier.
You Write it, I Perfect it.
im Guarnaccia is now pleased to offer her editing experience to both experienced and
novice writers. Editor and publisher of Mys-
teries Magazineand editor and art director
of Renaissance Magazine for the past 12 yearsKim
can edit your manuscript for both grammar and

clarity of message so that you can more easily get
an article accepted by a prestigious magazine or
your book accepted by an established literary agent
or publisher. And if you plan to self-publish your
work, Kim can also professionally design your
book for you.
Although she can edit any type of manuscript,
Kim specializes in:
New Age/Spiritual Topics
Paranormal Topics
History
Both Nonfiction and Fiction
Call Kim at (603) 352-1645 or

email [email protected]
for pricing and further information.
17
Noteworthy
Mysterious Ice Holes

Abound This Winter
n octopus-shaped hole found on

January 19, 2008, has had Canadian homeowners in the small
town of Spruce Grove, Alberta, discussing the possibility that something
from outer space could have plummeted
to Earth in their very backyards. The
hole, which is close to three feet in diameter, goes right through the two-footthick ice, straight to the bottom.
Derrick Zienowicz was the first to see
the strange hole in the frozen pond. An
eyewitness came forward to say he had
seen a fireball shoot down from the sky
around 10 p.m. on January 17. I first
thought it was a shooting star, but it wasnt burning out, said Eric Whyte. It
was a big ball of fire, bright orangey in
color, and a big tail, he recalled.
Zienowicz said he felt his house shake at
about 10 p.m. Thursday while he was
standing in the kitchen.
Local divers braved the frigid conditions and scoured the bottom of the
pond, hoping to find a piece of space
rock. Unfortunately, all they found
were lost golf balls.
Oddly enough, around the same date,
an Iowa couple reported that something
fell from the sky and onto their land
just south of Knoxville in Marion
County. Denny Straube said that whatever it was, it hit hard enough to throw
water out in a big, round circle. Straube
also noticed that the impact of the mystery object left several 15-foot cracks running from the hole and about three
inches of displaced water on top of the
ice. The Straubes hope that someone volunteers to scuba dive in their pond soon
to find out what fell into their pond this
past winter.
Other strange holes have been reported before in frozen lakes in various
parts of the world. In 2002, a hole about
2,100 feet across appeared in a frozen
lake in Minnesota. Investigations failed to
find any explanation for the phenomenon. Soon afterwards, another circular
hole was seen in a frozen pond in Maryland, by workers in a nearby office block.
It formed over a number of days.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: THE EDMONTON SUN
Geneticists
Discover a
Way to
Extend Life
by 800 Years
n an amazing development, scientists

led by senior researcher Dr. Valter Longo
at the University of Southern California have announced that they have
extended the lifespan of yeast bacteria tenfold, and the
recipe they used to
do it might easily
translate to humans. It involves
tinkering with two
genes and cutting
down ones calorie
intake. Tests have
already started on
people in Ecuador.
According to an announcement
from
PLoS Genetics, researchers have created
bakers yeast capable
of living to 800 in yeast
years without apparent side effects. The
discovery brings scientists closer to controlling the survival and health of the cell.
Longo put bakers yeast on a calorie-restricted diet and knocked out two genes
RAS2 and SCH9that promote aging in
yeast and cancer in humans. We got a 10fold life-span extension that is, I think, the
longest one that has ever been achieved in
any organism, Longo says. (Normal yeast
organisms live about a week.)
But Longo cautions that longevity mutations tend to come with health problems
and that finding drugs to extend the human
life span without side effects will not be
easy.
MICHAEL LOHR
SOURCE: L.A. TIMES
18
ISSUE
#21
Noteworthy
Marriage with
Robots by 2050
umans will be marrying and having

sex with robots by 2050, says
British artificial intelligence researcher David Levy.
In 2006, Henrik Christensen, founder of
the European Robotics Research Network,
predicted that people will be having sex
with robots within five years. Levy agrees
and says that companies are currently selling realistic sex dolls, and it's just a matter of adding some electronics for audio
and movement to create a realistic response.
Psychologists have acknowledged that
there are 12 reasons why people fall in
love and almost all of them could apply to
human-robot relationships. For instance,
one thing that prompts people to fall in
love are similarities in personality and
knowledge, all of which is programmable.
Another is if they know the other person
likes them, and that is easily programmable, as well. As software becomes more
advanced and the relationship between
humans and robots becomes more personal, marriage could result.
The main benefit of human-robot relationships may be to make those who otherwise would not get married, happier.
People who find it hard to form relationships because they are extremely shy or
have psychological problems or unpleasant
personalities would be the ones seeking a
relationship with a robot, Levy said.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: LIVESCIENCE
Gene Pioneer Close to

Creating Artificial Life
r. Craig Venter, a controversial

DNA researcher who has built a
synthetic chromosome out of
laboratory chemicals, recently announced
the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth. It is
certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could
unlock the door for new life
forms that could be designed to
make biofuels and absorb
greenhouse gases.
Venters team of 20 scientists
has constructed a synthetic
chromosome in the laboratory
that is 381 genes long and contains 580,000 base pairs of genetic code. It is based on the
bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium but has been reduced to
the barest essentials required to
sustain life. They have called the
synthetic chromosome Mycoplasma laboratorium.
The next step is to take the
chromosome and transplant it
into a living bacterial cell, where
it should take control and become a new life form. The new life form
will depend on the molecular machinery
of the cell into which it has been injected,
and in that sense, it will not be a wholly
synthetic life form. However, its DNA will
be artificial.
Venter said he carried out an ethical review before completing the experiment.
He has further heightened the controversy surrounding his potential breakthrough by applying for a patent for the
synthetic bacterium.
Pat Mooney, director of a Canadian
bioethics organization called the ETC

group, said that Venter was creating a
chassis on which you could build almost
anything. It could be a contribution to
humanity, such as new drugs, or a huge

threat to humanity such as bio-weapons.
Venter believes designer genomes have
enormous positive potential if properly
regulated. In the long term, he hopes they
could lead to alternative energy sources.
Bacteria could be created, he speculates,
that could help mop up excessive carbon
dioxide, thus contributing to the solution
to global warming, or produce butane or
propane that is made entirely from sugar.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (UK)
19
Noteworthy
Sliders Claim Ability

to Affect Electricity
Her supposed ability, dubbed Street
Light Interference syndrome (SLI) has
earned her international fame. In Japan,
she has been likened to heroines from
Manga comic strips. She has also been
compared to characters from the television show Heroes, in which ordinary people develop superhero abilities. But Wolf
does not feel like a superhero; she works
as a pathology support officer at the
Royal Sussex County Hospital in
Brighton which, she says, fortunately has
never been affected.
here are some people who claim

to have the ability to control electricity, such as Debbie Wolf,
whose presence causes electric bulbs to
burn out, lights to turn off and on, and
volumes on CD players to increase. She
is one of Britains growing number of
sliders, people who believe their presence interferes with household appliances, radios, and light bulbs.
She also claims she can turn street
lamps off, cause digital clocks to go haywire, and even defrost her freezer. However, the 38-year-old woman from
Telscombe Cliffs, near Brighton, admits
that she has no control over her power.
It happens when Im stressed or if Im
chewing something over in my mind,
she explained.
Wolf also reluctantly admits that it happens when she is sexually aroused or really
excited about something. She says she
once blew a series of street lamps while
riding by on a motorcycle. As well, she
uses a wind-up alarm clock because her
reaction on waking up in the morning
scrambles digital clocks.
20
Some scientists have suggested that

super-charged bioenergy fields could be
the cause. The human nervous system is
chemical and electrical in nature, and
when people are emotionally excited,
their nervous systems literally light up.
While in most people this does not affect
their surroundings with people who already have very high energy, this can
boost them to a level where they actually
affect electrical systems around them.
Sceptics dismiss SLI as wishful thinking
and coincidence. Although it is yet to be
demonstrated in a contolled laboratory
experiment. Wolf and others say that rigorous testing might be difficult because
they have to be in the right mood for
their powers to work.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (UK)
WERE THE FIRST

AMERICANS
WIPED OUT BY
AN ASTEROID?
ome 13,000 years ago, the Clovis people wandered

North America, hunting ground sloths, mammoths, and
other creatures, until both hunters and prey mysteriously
vanished. A team of scientists now think they know what caused their disappearance: a comet
exploding just north of the Great Lakes, triggering a 1,000-year cold spell that helped bring on
the extinction of the Clovis people and the animals.
For years, the disappearance of the Clovis cultureand sudden extinction of 35 genera of
animalswere explained by two competing theories. One blamed climate change, and the
other suggested that the Clovis killed off everything and then subsequently starved. The key
to the new hypothesis is a thin layer of black soil that contains iridium, found at more than 50
North American sites, an element thought to indicate extraterrestrial origins. The sediments
also contain metallic and carbon spherules, as well as melted charcoal, likely the result of forest fires that swept the continent after the impact.
Although no crater has been found, concentrations of these indicators are highest around
the Great Lakes. Perhaps the impact was absorbed and erased by the Laurentide Ice Sheet
which, at the time, reached from the Arctic Ocean to that point. Or maybe the comet exploded
before it hit Earth.
MICHAEL LOHR
SOURCE: DISCOVERY MAGAZINE
ISSUE
#21
We Want Your
Spooky Photos!
Have you captured on film a UFO,
ghost, light orb, or any other event
that defies easy explanation?
If so, we want to publish it! Just mail us the photo, slide, or
negative with a brief explanation as to where and when it
was taken and what is unusual about it. If we publish
your photo, you will receive a FREE 1-year subscription
(or if already a subscriber, a FREE 1-year renewal).
Mysteries Magazine
PO Box 490 Walpole, NH 03608 USA www.MysteriesMagazine.com
(Note: All submitted photos become the property of Mysteries Magazine and will not be returned.)
21
Noteworthy
A Canadian
inukshuk.
Manmade Stone Structure

Found in Canadian Lake
I
n the spring of 2005, divers in MacDonald Lake at the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve in Ontario,
Canada, revisited an ancient stone structure that is located at a depth of 40 feet.
In the past, geologists had said it was a
perched erratic, or large rocks ferried
by the glaciers thousands of years ago and
dumped where the glacier happened to
melt at the end of one of the recent coldfreezes.
Hoping to get a better idea on its origins, forest rangers engaged the services
of an underwater archaeologist to examine it. After a 30-minute dive, the expert
found three shims, proof that the assembly of seven rocks was the result of human
activity and not a fluke of nature.
Subsequent dives examined the struc-
22
ture, but failed to find any signs of the use

of tools, decorative images, or other irregularities. The thick layer of silt covering the vertical surfaces suggests that it
was erected at least 10,000 years ago.
To help explain the mystery, geologists
pointed to a dramatic drought which
gripped Eastern North America between
9,000 and 7,000 BC. Conditions were so
dry during that time that lake levels in the
Great Lakes were 165 feet lower than
today, and inland lakes, such as MacDonald Lake, were several dozen feet lower
than their present water levels. Because of
this, the lake was home to a glacial relic
lake trout, a natural attraction to the ancient North Americans who probably settled in the area to fish and hunt.
Those who have seen images of the
rock cairn have pointed out similarities

between the stone structure and an inukshuk, a stone landmark used as a milestone
or directional marker by the Inuit of the
Canadian Arctic. The environment in the
far north resembles what central Ontario
may have looked like after the retreat of
the ice many thousands of years ago.
The MacDonald Lake inukshuk sits at
the edge of a deep ledge, pointing to the
deepest hole in the entire chain of lakes,
today some 150 feet deep. At times of
dramatically lower lake levels, this may
have been a pool where the ancient trout
congregated, with the stone structure
pointing to the area of prime fishing.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: PR WEB
ISSUE
#21
Noteworthy
Dont It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?
ew research shows that all

people with blue eyes have
a single, common ancestor,
who lived between 6,000 and
10,000 years ago. Before that,
everyone had brown eyes.
Scientists studying chromosomes at the University of Copenhagen have identified a genetic
mutation that resulted in the creation of a switch located next to
the OCA2 gene, which regulates
the production of melanin, the pigment that gives color to the hair,
skin, and eyes. The switcha simple change from A (adrenaline) to
G (guanine) in the DNAlimits the
action of the gene, reducing the
production of melanin in the iris
and effectively diluting brown eyes
to blue.
Over many generations, segments of ancestral DNA get shuffled so that individuals have
varying sequences. Segments that
have not been reshuffled are called
haplotypes. If a group shares long
haplotypes, it means that the sequence arose relatively recently in
the ancestral chain. Although
brown-eyed people have considerable individual variation in the area
of their DNA that controls melanin
production, all blue-eyed people
have the same haplotype, and have
all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot. So scientists
have concluded that the mutation
arose relatively recently and that all
blue-eyed individuals are descended from the same ancestor.
According to professor Hans
Eiberg, who led the study, the genetic variation of brown eyes to
blue represents neither a positive
nor a negative mutation. Others
say, however, that the mutation
may be positive, since people with
blue eyes also have a greater instance of blond hair and fair skin, a
combination that confers a survival advantage by stimulating
greater production of vitamin D in
sun-starved places. They also say
that these traits are deemed attractive and are, therefore, advantageous in terms of sexual
selection.
JUDITH KANE
SOURCES: UNIV. OF COPENHAGEN, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS,
AMERICAN ASSOC. FOR ADVANCEMENT
OF SCIENCE, LIVESCIENCE
A Toast to Your Psychic Health

with Host Jaye Beldo. staff writer for Mysteries Magazine
For the blogospheric best in conspiracy,
psychic podcasts, holistic health,
whacky music and videos,
Point your surfboards to:
www.LavaCocktail.com
23
Noteworthy
Remains May Solve

Romanov Mystery
orensic tests on bone fragments recently discovered in a remote forest in the Ural Mountains of Siberia
may finally solve one of the most enduring
mysteries of the 20th centurythe fate of
two of the children of the last Russian tsar
Nicholas II, whose family was murdered
by a Bolshevik firing squad in 1918.
According to Yakov Yurovsky, who led
the firing squad, members of the royal
household, including Nicholas, his wife
Alexandra, their four daughters, their
only son Alexei, and four servants, were
awakened in the middle of the night and
taken to a room in the basement of a
house in Yekaterinburg, where the family
was imprisoned after Nicholas was forced
to abdicate. They were then shot and bayoneted, and the corpses loaded onto a
truck and taken to a nearby forest, where
they were doused with sulfuric acid to
render them unidentifiable later.
Nine of the bodies were buried alongside the road, but Alexei, heir to the Russian throne, and one of his sisters, were
separated from the others, burned, and
buried in a nearby pit. Persistent rumors
have since circulated that Alexei and one
of his sisters (usually Anastasia, the
youngest of the tsars four daughters) had
been spared and were hidden away.
In 1991, nine corpses were exhumed
from a common grave found beneath a
cart track in a forest six miles north of
Yekaterinburg. DNA tests matched the
bodies of a woman and three younger females to the Duke of Edinburgh, a greatnephew of Tsarina Alexandra. DNA tests
also matched a male corpse to the three
younger females and to other descendants
of the royal family, so scientists concluded
that the remains were those of Nicholas,
24
Alexandra, and three of their daughters.

The five Romanovs were interred at the
cathedral in St Petersburg in 1998, but
Alexei and one of his sisters were not
found, further fueling the rumors that
they had survived the massacre. However,
the forensic scientists were relatively certain that one of the recovered bodies was
that of Anastasia.
Then in August of 2007, archaeologists
uncovered two charred, partial skeletons
under a small mound near the site where
the other bodies had been found. Also ex-
cavated from the mound were three bullets of various calibers, a fragment of a
dress, wire from a wooden box, and
pieces of ceramic bottles that had contained sulfuric acid. Initial anthropological and dental examinations of the
remains concluded that they are from a
boy between the ages of 10 and 15 and a
girl between the ages of 16 and 23 (Alexei
was 13; Maria was 19).
Forensic scientists performed DNA
tests and have also tested the bones of the
young male for evidence of hemophilia, a
rare inability of the body to clot blood
that afflicted Alexei. The results are expected soon. Excavations will resume in
the summer of 2008.
JUDITH KANE
SOURCES: AP, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, DAILY MAIL,
THE TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN
Neanderthal Treasure at Sea Bottom
he discovery of 28 Neanderthal flint axes on the sea bed off the East Anglian coast has
sparked academic interest in what are being described as submerged Stone-Age hunting
grounds. Dating from 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, the discovery includes flint artifacts,
a large number of mammoth bones, teeth, and tusk fragments, and pieces of deer antler. The
location was probably a Neanderthal hunters' kill site or temporary camp site.
The cache was found eight miles off Great Yarmouth. The axes, composing one of the largest
groups ever found, were spotted by an amateur archaeologist when a shipment of North Sea gravel
arrived at the Dutch port of Flushing.
The region was flooded between 18,000
and 6,000 BC, when the warming climate melted glaciers. As the waters
rose, the landscape vanished and
slowly, the contours of the British Isles
and the northwest European coastline
were established. Now the primitive landscape is submerged, preserved deep beneath one of the busiest seas in the world.
Archaeologists now suspect that other Neanderthal sites may have survived under the
North Sea.
Extensive archaeological research at the
bottom of the North Sea should help establish
when humans returned to Britain after a 100,000year absence. Also, because preservation on and in the sea bed is extremely good, it is almost
certain that wooden, stone, and bone implements have survived, which could reveal for the first
time the full technological capabilities of Neanderthal Man.
TIM SWARTZ
ISSUE
#21
Noteworthy
UFO Photo
Draws National
Attention
R
aji, a person who claims to have

taken the photos of a strange object floating above a utility pole.
in Santa Cruz, CA, posted it online and
then disappeared. In January, 2008, private eye T.K. Davis was hired by a woman
from the UFO group Open Minds
Forum to try and track down the source
of the photo and determine once and for
all if it is real.
Raji claimed to have taken the photos
on May 16, 2007. He then posted the
images on Craigslist.com with the note:
I have no clue what this thing is so Im
putting it out there to see if anyone else

saw it. Soon after, Raji answered a few
questions from UFO hunters but then
closed his email account and vanished.
What does Davis think now? He believes the object in the photo is too intricate to be the work of a Photoshop scam
artist.
Before vanishing, Raji emailed the
woman from the Open Minds Forum saying the image was shot outside his fiancees parents home. If Davis can find
the telephone pole, he believes he can find
the person who took the photo.
A man named Isaac claimed to various

UFO-related sites that the strange craft
resembles drones that were part of topsecret government program in Palo Alto
in the 1980s, in which scientists were devising commercial technology from extraterrestrial artifacts. Isaacs story is now
online at isaaccaret.fortunecity.com.
Speculation continues to run rampant,
but until Davis speaks with Raji, he says
the craft featured in the photo will remain
a mystery.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES
25
Noteworthy
Ball Lightning Bamboozles Physicists
meritus Professor Bob Crompton

of the Australian National University said during a presentation
on the latest scientific investigations into
ball lightning, that he does not believe
there is any satisfactory explanation on
the true nature of ball lightning.
Ball lightning appears as a glowing,
hovering ball of light that moves slowly
near the ground before disappearing or
exploding. The ball usually measures
from three to 24 inches in diameter and
hovers above the ground, moving slowly,
until it vanishes minutes later.
Crompton, an expert in atomic and
molecular physics and electrical discharges in gases, has been interested in
the science behind ball lightning for
decades. He has collected 30-40 Aus-
to check on her children, she saw a

sparkling golden ball of light sitting on
the lintel above the doorway to the bathroom, which lasted about 10 seconds.
Crompton says two main theories have
been put forward to explain ball lightning. One theory says lightning strikes
and travels slowly through conductive
channels in the ground. A high electrical
field is created in the air as the lightning
moves through the ground; ball lightning, some believe, is formed from electricity discharging in this field.
The other theory says lightning hits a
surface containing silica and carbon in the
ratio of 1:2. The extreme heat of the lightning converts these chemicals into carbon
dioxide and nanoparticles of silicon, which
puff out of the surface in the shape of a
during a thunderstorm over New York

City in the 1960s, who reported seeing a
glowing sphere emerge from one wall,
drift down the aisle three feet above the
floor of the plane, and disappear out of
the rear of the aircraft.
TIM SWARTZ
SOURCE: AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORP.
SETI
EXPANDS
SEARCH
FOR ALIENS
TIM SWARTZ
I
tralian sightings over a period of about 10
years.
Crompton says he first became interested in ball lightning after an eyewitness
report in the Canberra Times in 1970.
The eyewitness was the wife of a colleague, who awoke in the early hours one
morning after a fierce lightning strike on
a power pole near her home. As she went
26
ball. The ball shimmers as the silicon oxidizes in the air, generating heat and light.
Crompton says the second theory is
the most likely explanation for ball lightning, but it does not explain how ball
lightning gets into a house. The first theory does, but does not explain other
cases, such as a report in the journal Nature by a scientist traveling in a plane
n January of 2008, seven new receivers were added to the Arecibo

Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico, on
which the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) piggybacks its instruments. The upgrade has increased the
signal sensitivity of the telescope, enabling it to detect polarized radio signals
and to collect radio signals from seven regions of the sky, rather than just one. As
a result, the number of frequencies that
SETI monitors for signals from alien civilizations has expanded 40 times. It can
now collect 500 times the amount of
data that was being gathered prior to the
upgrade.
JUDITH KANE
SOURCES: SETI, DISCOVERY NEWS
ISSUE
#21
Noteworthy
Hunt for Amber Room Continues
team of German treasure hunters

claims to have found tons of Nazi
gold hidden in a manmade cavern. They hope it will also yield the treasure from the Amber Room, a priceless
part of a Russian royal palace looted by
the Nazis during WWII.
Crafted in 1701 for the Berlin palace
of Prussian King Frederick I, the Amber
Room was ornamented with four Florentine mosaics of allegorical scenes made of
semi-precious stones, wall mirrors, and
wall panels made of tens of thousands of
intricately carved amber resin tiles,
backed with gold leaf and mirrors. In all,
more than eight tons of amber was used
to decorate the room, which is said to
have seemed to glow from within.
In 1716, to cement an alliance, Fredericks son King Frederick Wilhelm I gave
the Amber Room to visiting Russian Tsar
Peter the Great. Its panels were shipped
to St Petersburg, where they were installed on the walls of a formal reception
room in the lavish Yekaterinsky Palace.
More than two centuries later, in 1941,
the Amber Room was disassembled by
the invading Germans, packed into 27
crates, and transported with thousands of
other artworks to a palace in Knigsberg
(now Kaliningrad) on the Baltic coast.
The treasure was moved again in 1945,
after the war had turned against the Germans, to a secret location, and its fate has
since been a mystery.
There are many theories about what
became of the Amber Room. Some historians think that it was destroyed by a
fire in the castle at Knigsberg; others say
that it was destroyed by Allied bombing
or lost at sea when a submarine on which
it was being transported was torpedoed
by an Allied ship. Others believe that it
was hidden by the Nazis in an abandoned
mine or underground bunker. One of the
panels from the Amber Room was found

by German police in 1997, giving rise to
hopes that other pieces of the legendary
treasure, which is estimated to be worth
more than $300 million, may still survive.
Historical documents show that as
early as the summer of 1944, in the dying
days of WWII, the Nazis sent truckloads

and trainloads of valuables, including
paintings, diamonds, gold, and secret
documents, to eastern Germany. There
have been persistent rumors that the
crates containing the Amber Room were
among those treasures and that it was all
hidden in underground storage rooms
built by the Nazis in the regions Ore
Mountains, where there is an extensive

network of abandoned copper, tin, and
silver mines.
Using geological surveying equipment
and electromagnetic imaging, the treasure hunters located a labyrinth of manmade caverns 30 to 60 feet underground.
Preliminary explorations with electromagnetic pulse
measuring instruments and electronic
sensors
indicate that one of
the caves contains
large quantities of
precious
metal,
such as gold or silver.
In February of
2008, a drilling
team from a mining
company
began
boring pilot holes
at one-yard intervals at a site that is
only about 100
yards from the
Czech border, trying to find the entrance to the caves.
The search for an
entrance has been
slow because of
fears that the cave
might be rigged
with explosives or poisonous booby traps.
Regional authorities have agreed to assist with the excavation and when they finally do break through to the cavern, a
camera will be lowered in to determine
exactly what is there.
JUDITH KANE
SOURCES: TV-NOVOSTI, REUTERS, SPIEGEL, NTL. GEO.,
CNN, REUTERS, NY TIMES, AP, BLOOMBERG, LA TIMES,
27
Strange Customs
Italian Community Secretly Builds

Breathtaking Underground Temples
Based on visions by their
leader, an occult group in
northern Italy has revealed a
secret complex of beautiful
underground temples.
Oberto Airaudi
(aka Falco),
founder of the
Federation
of Damanhur.
28
by Tim Swartz
hirty miles from the ancient city of
Turin, Italy, is the valley of
Valchiusella where, 100 feet below
the earth and hidden from public view,
there are five levels of nine ornate temples
whose scale and opulence leave visitors
speechless. Constructed like a three-dimensional book that narrates the history
of humanity, they are linked by hundreds
of feet of richly decorated tunnels and occupy almost 300,000 cubic feet.
Few have been granted permission to
see these marvels and the Italian government was not even aware of their existence
until a few years ago. But the Temples
of Damanhur are not the great legacies
of some long-lost civilization, but the
work of a 57-year-old former insurance broker from northern Italy who
had been inspired by a childhood vision.
Oberto Airaudi was born in 1950 in
Turin and from the beginning, he seemed

to be a focal point for strange phenomena.
As a child, he conjured up ghostly apparitions to frighten his opponents on the soccer field. But what changed his life were
the visions of a past life in which he saw
amazing temples and lived a highly
evolved civilization where all people
worked for the common good.
Oberto says that it became his goal to
recreate the temples from his visions, dedicated to the evolution of the cosmos and
the spiritual rebirth of human race.
Oberto (who prefers to use the name
Falco) was a successful insurance broker
when he began his quest to find the perfect site to locate his temples. In 1977, he
selected a remote hillside in a region of
Piedmont, where he felt the hard rock
would sustain the structures he had in
mind.
In 1978, a house was built on the hillside and Falco moved in with several
ISSUE
#21
Strange Customs
The Secret Corridors of Time
t the site, there are nine different temples known collectively as

the Temples of Humankind, and for the outside visitor, it is a
breathtaking experience. There are literally miles of corridors
and thousands of statues, windows, and paintings. It contains a series of halls, dedicated to water, the earth, the spheres, metals, and
mirrors. The chambers and passages which make up the Temple are
aligned to what Damanhurians believe are three of the Earths intersecting synchronic lines.
By carefully studying the flow of these energy channels, Falco
writes, one can foresee what will happen in the future and thus modify the present and the mysteries of creation revealed.
The walls are like history books adorned with paintings showing
panoramic visions of the birth and evolution of the universe and allegorical scenes of war between good and evil in the hearts of men.
There are mosaics and statues of the gods and goddesses of Greece
and Rome, Sumer and Babylon, Hindu and Zulu, Aztec and Algonquin.
As well, there are motifs of Egypt and Atlantis depicting shifting sands
and swimming dolphins, warriors and dragons, scarabs and hieroglyphs, Osiris, Anubis, and the falcons of Horus. These artists marvels
are not just mythological but technological, as well. Their nine-yardwide domed ceilings of stained glass are back-lit by neon. There are secret, motorized doors made to look like those in the Great Pyramid.
Also, at the touch of unseen remote controls, secret motorized drawbridges and stairs appear as if by magic.
TIM SWARTZ
friends. Using hammers and

picks, they began their dig to
create the temples of Damanhur, named after the ancient
subterranean Egyptian temple meaning city of light.
Calling themselves the
Federation of Damanhur, the
group decided to share their
dream only with like-minded
people, so they worked secretly and did not seek permission from the local
authorities. Volunteers, who
flocked from around the
world, worked silently in
four-hour shifts. They camouflaged the entrance to the
main passageway, masking
the sounds of their hammers,
removing dirt and rock one
small bucket at a time, and
scattering it carefully and inconspicuously about the forest floor so the neighbors
would not notice.
They worked unobserved
for the next 16 years, with no
formal plans, other than
Falcos
sketches.
They
funded their scheme by setting up small businesses to
serve the local community.
By 1991, several of the
nine chambers were almost
complete with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret
doors, and stained glass windows. Unfortunately, Filippo
Cerutti, a disgruntled leader,
sued the community, which
alerted the authorities.
In 1993, the police
showed up to ask questions
about alleged tax evasion, but
they also wanted to know if
the rumors of a secret underground complex were true.
Falco and his colleagues re-
luctantly opened the secret

door to reveal what lay beneath.
Three policemen and the
public prosecutor entered the
first templenamed the Hall
of the Eartha circular
chamber measuring almost
30 feet in diameter. They
were overwhelmed by what
they saw: a central sculpted
column depicting a three-dimensional man and woman,
supported a ceiling of intricately painted glass. The astonished group walked on to
find sculpted columns covered with gold leaf, more
than 30 feet high.
The authorities decided to
seize the temples on behalf
of the government. Fortunately, the group was asked
to continue with the artwork, but to cease further
building, as they had not
been granted planning permission. Retrospective permission was eventually
granted and the Italian authorities in charge of the
preservation of the temples
have since declared it a protected collective artistic
work.
Today, the Damanhurians
have their own schools, organic supermarkets, vineyards, farms, bakeries, and
award-winning eco homes.
Falco says that the temples
were built with the help of
less than a hundred people,
and now the community has
over a thousand members.
We like to think that if all
goes well, our future
achievements will be proportional to that. z
29
Commentary
The Dangers of Hallucinogens

Psychedelic drugs are
currently being touted as
the pathway to liberation.
What's not told, however, is
that the consumption of
hallucinogens can make one
fair game to hostile ETs and
soul sucking entities.
by Jaye Beldo
hese days there are many people
advocating the use of hallucinogenic drugs to help achieve an altered, higher consciousness, such as
popular alternative historian Graham Hancock (see Mysteries, issue #17). Labeled entheogens (meaning that which generates
godly inspiration within a person), these
substances are supposed to expand our
awareness, connect us on deeper levels
with our own being, and open us up to
beneficial spirit worlds. Yet what
may have worked in bygone
epochs
for
Siberian
shamans
rocketing
through the cosmos on
amanita muscariaor
Jivaro Indians snorting
the visionary drug
ipema deep in the Amazon
rainforest
does
not
necessarily mean that it will work for the

rest of us.
Richard Alpert (aka Ram Dass), who was
Timothy Learys cohort during their Harvard/LSD days in the early 1960s, says
that he once gave acid to his guru in India
who told him afterwards that it only gave
him a headache. From this, Dass postulated that the gurus spiritual practice had
expanded his mind naturally far beyond
what any chemical could ever do. The guru
also hinted to Dass that there were safer
routes to achieve enlightenment than by
taking drugs.
Similar accounts can be found in
the fascinating series Aghora: The
Left Hand of God by Robert E. Svoboda, whose Tantric guru Vimalananda, in 1983,
Shaman Don Carlos
30
ISSUE
#21
Commentary
talked of controlling the effects of drugs
through arduous Yoga practices and the
recitation of mantras to raise ones spiritual vibration. But such table-turning
methods are truly meant for the few and
there have been legions of fools who have
casually tried mind-altering drugs and
paid the price with their sanity.
A serious problem with the ingestion
of entheogens is that there are simply
too many individuals who overlook the
importance of physically, mentally, and
emotionally preparing for bouts of sustained and expanded consciousness.
Mind-altering substances can amplify
everything from psychological complexes, health problems, and the shadow
side of the psyche. As a result, many unprepared users can spend days, if not
months or years, recovering from the
prototypical bad trip.
Dangerous Side Effects

he involuntary raising of kundalini energy up the spinal column is another dangerous side
effect of casual tripping. For the more
spiritually attuned, according to such spiritual powerhouses as Meher Baba, the use
of drugs can slow down the karma-burning process, delaying ones liberation
from the incarnational cycle of
birth, suffering, and death. Additionally, those without proper
training and discipline often enc o u n t e r
imposters in
the
spirit
world: demons
posing as evolved
beings of light or seductive
goddesses in service of Gaia, taking advantage of third-eyes blasted open
by hallucinogens to rob one of their energy or steal their souls. (Some believe
that this could even explain the vacant
look that many drug-users have when
they are high).

As an example, a few years ago, I received a phone call from a man who
claimed that during a mushroom trip he
had talked to god, who had given him all
the answers that he needed. But I immediately assessed that something was amiss
with his revelatory claim. My misgivings
were verified later when I talked to his
wife, who told me he had been physically
abusing his son, not exactly the behavior
of someone enlightened via dialoguing
with god.
In fact, it is possible that a demonic entity took possession of him during his
trip, which caused him to resort to violence instead of compassion and understanding when addressing his familial
problems. I suspect this kind of programming by hostile interdimensional beingswho find their victims when they
have been energetically weakened by the
ingesting of hallucinogensto be quite
common.
Fortunately, spiritual practitioners such
as Eric J. Pepin have come forth to describe their own experiences with drugs
such as ayahuasca, and the unfortunate
debasement of what once was a sacrament
meant only for indigenous peoples. He
describes how bogus shamans in South
America are now seizing the
opportunity to make
money off of curious
tourists by arranging
groups to travel to South
America for the express
purpose of taking the
drug, and then manipulating them emo-
Zen master striking a monk with a bamboo cane to trigger enlightenment. Unfortunately, many Westerners are not
prepared for this kind of heavy-handed
experience, especially when performed by
a tour guide. Instead of helping to evolve
their consciousness, the results of such
treatment can be disasterous.
He also admits that the substance is addictive and that,
Ayahuasca is a computer program for
all intents and purposes; it weaves into
the body like a virus and uses the bodys
organic energy to power up It can easily master you because its using your
own power grid. it has access to all of
your biological data experience and potentially more.
One can see from this account just how
easy it would be to become possessed by
the drug itself, as well as by spiritual or
other-dimensional entities looking for
easy access to a human spirit that has been
weakened by its use of mind-altering
drugs. If our bodily systems are not
cleared of toxins, disease, or mental imbalance prior to ingesting these powerful
substances, we may be setting ourselves
up for a bad experience, one from which
we may never fully recover.
Unfortunately, not many writers are
willing to admit to this, or even are aware
of the negative side-effects of ingesting
mind-altering drugs without the proper
preparation. Additionally, the use of hallucinogens may actually lower consciousness and make legions of entheonauts
prey to dark spiritual forces. What should
be only meant for a chosen few has been
cast like pearls before drug-gobbling
swine and tragically perverted for maximum profit. z
.
tionally,
even at times physically beating them during their
trips in order to shake them out of the
confines of ordinary consciousness, like a
31
Urban Legends
Amusement Parks
FODDER FOR SCARY STORIES
Common sense goes out
the window when one
visits an amusement park
in which the very laws of
physics are defied.
by Charles Rammelkamp
hen summer comes and school
lets out, many childrens
thoughts (as well as those of
adults) turn to amusement parks. Ferris
wheels, carousels, merry-go-rounds, and
roller coasters excite every kids imagination. But amusement parks are also a source
of danger, so it is no surprise that they are
a rich source of urban legends, as well.
Urban legends about amusement parks
generally fall into one of three categories:
rumors about child abduction and molestation; rumors of lewd behavior; and
tales of the dangers inherent in amusement
park attractions. The suspicion that crimes
are being covered up and not reported by
the amusement park owners underlie many
of the tales.
Trumped up Charges of Molestation

ne rumor that is now floating
around cyberspace in the form of
an emailed child alert is that children are being spirited away by kidnappers
at various amusement parks, who alter their
appearance before smuggling them out of
THE LEGEND OF THE

HAUNTED HOUSE ATTRACTION
here is an urban legend of a haunted house attraction that is so scary, no one has
ever completed a tour of it. The house usually is said to have a number of levels,
one more scary than the other, and patrons are said to be offered a complete re-
fund of their admission feeand even a rewardif they are able to complete the tour. Nobody has. The reason nobody has, of course, is that the haunted house does not exist!
CHARLES RAMMELKAMP
32
the park. These warnings are sent via email

and reads:
Wanted to share something that happened over the weekend while we were at
Six Flags. A mother was standing in
line at a ticket booth and turned around
to find her four-year-old daughter missing. I was standing there near her. She
was calling for Megan, and no luck. We
stopped a passing security guard, and he
put the park management on alert.
They found Megan five minutes later
crunched in a bathroom stall. Her head
was half shaved and she was dressed in
her underwear with a bag of clothes, a
razor and a wig beside her. Whoever
took her brought her to the bathroom,
shaved her head, and undressed her in
less than ten minutes. It makes me shake
just to think of it.
Please keep an eye on your kids when
you go to amusement parks! Thank God
for the security at the park. In another
five minutes Megan would have been
gone!
Of course, while children have been kidnapped from amusement parks, there is no
documented case of any child being abducted in this systematic way.
Along with kidnapping is the specter of
child molestation, most tales of which are
not based on fact. For instance, in 1981, a
nine-year-old girl claimed that while at Disneyland, she had been slapped in the face
by a man in a Winnie the Pooh costume.
Her parents sued Disney and at her trial,
the actor who portrayed the loveable bear
donned his costume to demonstrate that he
could not slap the girl in the face because
the costumes arms were too low to the
ground. The jury acquitted the accused
bear in less than 20 minutes.
Similarly, in 1976, a woman claimed a
ISSUE
#21
Urban Legends
Mall in Weymouth, MA, in 1996. The
girl was on the Mini-Himalaya, a sled-like
ride, when her hair slipped through the
gap between her seat and the motor
cover, winding around the motor shaft
that was spinning at close to 2,000 revolutions per minute. She was awarded $7.5
million in an out- of-court settlement. But
what makes this an urban legend is that it
is said to have happened at many other
amusement parks, as well.
A similar urban legend without basis in
fact is the rumor of a boy touching a hot
wire in the fun house and being electrocuted. In one version, the boy is electrocuted when he stands up in the car and
urinates on the electric rail!
Photo Booth Shenanigans
everal legends that have also made
the rounds describe the embarrassment of lovers who take photographs of themselves in compromising
positions in a photo booth, only to have
them displayed on a monitor outside.
Once, in July of 2000, at Paramount
Kings Island just north of Cincinnati,
OH, a couple was caught having oral sex
when the young woman decided to snap
a photo of her boyfriends favorite pose.
Unbeknownst to them, a monitor outside
the photo booth displayed all the images
it captured to passersby. The couple was
charged with misdemeanor public indecency. The judge noted that humiliating
as this is for the individuals, their conduct
was reckless in that they extended this to
unwilling recipients, including children.
This kind of incident is so sensational,
though, that it is no wonder that it spread
like wildfire as having happened in other
amusement parks. Indeed, this is why so
many of these stories qualify as urban legends, from the dangers of the rides
through the fondling and molestation storiesthey may have happened, but not at
to the extent which makes these stories as
much a feature of the amusement park as
the ferris wheel! z
man in a pig costume ran up to her in the

Its a Small World attraction at Disneyland, fondled her breasts, and cried,
Mommy, Mommy! The experience
upset her so much that she gained 50
pounds. But the complaint never went to
court; when Disney officials showed the
woman a photo of the pig costume,
which had no functioning arms, she

dropped the charges.
Another persistent urban legend has it
that a girl on an amusement ride is
scalped when the girls long hair slips
through a gap in the backseat and into the
rides motor. This did happen, in fact, to
an eight-year-old girl at the Harborlight
33
treasures of the deep
Civil War Gunboat Found in Georgia

rchaeologists have found the
wreckage of the Civil War gunboat
Water Witch buried beneath more
than 10 feet of mud in Georgias Vernon
River, south of Savannah. The Union vessel patrolled blockades off the coasts of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and
Georgia, until it was captured by Confederate soldiers in 1864. It then became one
of the few Civil War boats to sail under the
flags of both the Confederate and Union
navies.
Elizabethan Warship Excavated

rchaeologists working off the
northern coast of the Channel Island of Alderney are excavating a
wreck that is the worlds only extant Elizabethan warship and only the second substantial Tudor warship ever found (the first
was Henry VIIIs flagship, the Mary Rose).
by Lord Burghley, Elizabeths chief minister, to carry munitions and dispatches to

English forces stationed in Brittany.
Although only about five percent of the
wreck site has been fully explored, divers
have already recovered more than 1,500
artifacts, including the ships rudder,
ropes, pottery, a pulley block, a pair of
medical forceps, and drug jars. Military
artifacts recovered include a large number
of arquebuses (muskets) and powder
flasks, swords, several types of armor
breast-plates and helmets, fire-pots (ceramic hand-grenades designed to break on
contact and spray flaming tar over enemy
ships), six cannon, cannon balls, and a variety of shot.
16th-Century Wreck off Florida Coast

ivers are exploring the wreck of a
Spanish ship that sank off the
coast of Pensacola, FL, in 1559,
when a hurricane devastated the first attempt to establish a European settlement
in Florida. The ship was one of a fleet of
11 ships under the command of Don Tristan de Luna, who was sent by the Spanish
crown to colonize the area. About a month
after the fleet arrived in Pensacola Bay with
1,000 colonists and 500 soldiers, seven of
Lunas ships were destroyed by a hurricane. The colony, which was meant to become a Spanish foothold in North
America, was abandoned in 1561 and no
trace of it has ever been found on land.
Revolutionary War Artifact

Pulled from Delaware River
n November of 2007, divers discovered buried in the mud of the Delaware River near Philadelphia, PA, a cheval-de-frise, an 11-foot pine log with a heavy iron pointed tip, one of many that
were positioned in the river with their tips about six feet underwater, meant to gore the hulls
of British warships that were menacing Philadelphia in the 1770s and later, to prevent supply
ships from reaching British troops.
The pointed logs, which were anchored with bolts in cribs (huge, wooden-framed boxes
filled with enough stone to render them immovable), were sunk in the river under the direction
of Benjamin Franklin. Although they did not always puncture the thick wooden hulls of the
British ships, getting hung up on one trapped a ship in a kill zone between Philadelphias Fort
Mifflin and New Jerseys Fort Mercer, across the river. The obstacles were removed after the war
in 1784, but obviously at least one was missed.
The cheval-de-frise was discovered in 40-foot-deep waters during a project to clear the river
of debris. It is in remarkably good condition and is now undergoing conservation at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, where it will soon be displayed.
JUDITH KANE
The wreck was dated after divers found

Elizabethan cannons and two lead-pan
weights stamped with the crowned monogram of Elizabeth I and the Guildhall dagger, the symbol of the city of London.
The ship sank in 1592, after being sent
34
ISSUE
#21
treasures of the deep

Over the next three years, the flotilla
sank dozens of Soviet ships, losing three
submarines in enemy action. Then in
1944, the Soviet army entered Romania
and the Romanian government switched
sides, declaring war on Germany, and
leaving the remaining three subs without
a land base. Their crews were ordered to
scuttle their vessels and try to make it
back to Germany. All three crews were
caught and interred by the Turks.
In February of 2008, the hulk of one
of the submarinesU-20was found
two miles off the Turkish coast. Divers report that the vessel is fully intact and in
good condition. Another submarine
U-23, which was commanded by Germanys
most
successful
U-boat
captainhas also been located, three
miles off the coast. The researchers think
they have also pinpointed the location of
U-19.
Only 20 Type II-B submarines were
ever built and just one of those survives,
making the prospect of retrieving three
that are in good condition an enticing one
for naval historians.
JUDITH KANE
The shipwreck lies partially buried in

sand at a depth of only about 12 feet. Test
excavations show that about 65 feet of
preserved hull remain, with bowls and
pieces of pottery scattered on the seabed.
Only a small fraction of the wreck has
been explored, but divers have already recovered some 800 artifacts, including
chunks of wood from the ships frame,
lead sheeting, iron spikes, and tiny balls
of mercury that were used to extract gold
from ore. Also recovered are seeds, cow
bones, rat skeletons, and olive jars coated
with bright-green glaze to protect the
honey or wine they likely carried.
The ship is the second wreck from
Lunas fleet to be found in Pensacola Bay.
The first, a larger ship that lies only about
1,320 feet away, was discovered in 1992
but its identity was only recently confirmed. The search for Lunas other ships
continues.
Lost Fleet of Nazi U-Boats
Found in Black Sea
hree German Type II-B submarines have been located on the
bottom of the Black Sea, near the
coast of Turkey. The U-boats were part of
a flotilla of six submarines used to harass
Allied shipping around the North Sea
early in WWII and then redeployed to the
Black Sea to attack Russian ships. To get
them to the Black Sea, the 140-foot-long,
280-ton subs were partially dismantled,
loaded onto trucks, shipped some 2,000
miles across German-occupied Europe,
and reassembled.
35
haunted heritage
Ghostly Activities at
Californiass Cal-Neva Resort
Positive memories can sometimes draw spirits back to a
once favorite place. Such is
the case with the celebritybound Cal-Neva Resort in
Lake Tahoe, CA.
36
by Janice Oberding
hile paranormal researchers
generally list tragic events and
sudden unexpected death as
prime reasons for a haunting, there are
other causes for ghostly activity, such as
fondness for a particular location, or memories of happy times spent at a place. The
Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe, CA, was
especially dear to entertainer Frank Sinatra
and his pal Marilyn Monroe. For Sinatra,
ownership of the famous lakeside lodge was
proof that he had reached the pinnacle of
success. Frightened and alone, Marilyn
viewed the Cal-Neva as a safe haven from
the problems that plagued her during the
last few years of her life. Could it be that
these feelings draw the two stars to the CalNeva to this day?
In 1931, Phil Tobin, a young Nevada assemblyman, introduced a bill to the state
legislature that legalized gambling in the
state of Nevada. The bill easily passed and
before long, the Nevada side of the lake
was scattered with small casinos.
The Cal-Neva Lodge on Crystal Bay at
Lake Tahoe was one of the early inns at the
lake and one of the first to offer gaming.

Tired of the big city, movie stars, including
singer/actor Frank Sinatra, as well as European royalty and other celebrities,
flocked to the lodge for its serene beauty,
its woodsy comfort, and its legalized gambling. The star liked what he saw and in
1960, at the height of his career, purchased
the Cal-Neva Lodge.
As much of the building had been standing since the late 1930s, one of the first
changes Sinatra made was to add a new
showroom with a massive rock fireplace
and beamed ceilings, where he could better
showcase the top-name talent he promised
to feature here.
When the dust settled, the new showroom rivaled any of those in Las Vegas and
was nearly perfect acoustically. True to his
word, some of the biggest names in showbusiness performed at the Cal-Neva, including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and
Lena Horne. Hoping to rub shoulders
with their favorite screen idols, star-struck
fans rushed to the Cal-Neva. During daylight hours it was not uncommon to see
Hollywood notables such as fellow Rat
ISSUE
#21
haunted heritage
Pack members Dean

Martin, Joey Bishop,
and Sammy Davis Jr.
lounging poolside or
sipping cocktails at the
round bar. In the
evenings, the stars could be
seen performing in the showroom or gambling in the casino.
But arguably the most
glamorous of Sinatras
friends to spend time at
the Cal-Neva was his
longtime friend Marilyn
Monroe. While she was
filming The Misfits in
nearby Reno during the
summer of 1960, Monroe
supposedly spent a great
deal of time visiting Sinatra at
the lodge. Just as gossips had predicted, when filming was completed,
Monroes marriage to playwright Arthur
Miller fell apart. With another divorce
under her belt, the actress

fled Los Angeles and
headed straight for the CalNeva.
Mob Ties
n the summer of 1963,
less than a year after Monroes untimely death,
Sinatras luck turned sour. The
popular McGuire Sisters were
appearing in the showroom.
At that time, singer Phyllis
McGuire was dating
Mafia Boss Sam Giancana.
Because of his mob ties,
Giancana had long been
banned from every casino
in the state of Nevada.
So Giancana came to the
Cal-Neva and stayed with Phyllis in
her cabin. During the McGuire Sisters
nightly performances in the showroom,
Giancana sat in the wings, unnoticed by
Phyllis adoring fans. But the FBI had

been watching Giancana for some time
and when agents discovered he was staying at the Cal-Neva, they wasted no time
in informing the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The next day, the story broke in the
newspapers. Sinatra was livid, for nothing
infuriated him faster than bad publicity
and he was convinced that the gaming
commission had leaked the information
to the press.
After it was determined that Sinatra
was in violation of the Nevada Gaming
Commission Regulation that forbids anyone with known underworld affiliations
from being in a Nevada gaming establishment, Sinatras gambling license was
revoked and he was ordered to divest
himself of ownership of the Cal-Neva and
the small percentage he owned of the
Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
Being forced to leave his beloved lakefront lodge must have been a sad day for
37
haunted heritage
Sinatra, and even sadder for those fans
who had flocked to the Cal-Neva hoping
for a glimpse of their favorite star. Without the allure of Sinatras name, the lodge
slowly lost its luster and for many years afterwards, the property remained empty.
Showroom Spirits
oday, the lodge is known as the
Cal-Neva Resort, and is once
again a popular spot at the lake.
The resort offers lodging, dining, gaming, and is especially noted for its first
class weddings.
The showroom has been renamed the
Frank Sinatra Celebrity Showroom and
the walls of a nearby hall are lined with
photos of Sinatra and his buddies during
his heyday. The round bar remains as he
left it and in many ways, it is almost as if
Sinatra never left the lodge. And as the
showroom was Sinatras one addition to
the lodge, it is believed to be the late
singers favorite place to haunt.
A former employee told of an incident
that happened in 2003. A musician who
was practicing on stage in the showroom
one morning questioned the veracity of
the stories concerning the ghostly Frank
Sinatra. Suddenly, the power went out.
The fuses were replaced but when the
amps were plugged back in, no matter
what they tried, no power could be delivered to the stage area for the next several
hours. No reason for the outage was ever
discovered.
And occasionally, when the showroom
is empty, the sounds of an audience
laughing and applauding have been reported emanating from the room.
Paranormal phenomena in the showroom increased when a piano that once
belonged to Sinatra was flown in from
Hawaii and placed in the center of the
stage in 2004. That same year, a life-sized
photo of the singer mysteriously disappeared after it was placed beside the piano
and has never been found. During a 2003
investigation, Tom and Lisa Butler, di-
38
rectors of the American Association of

Electronic Voice Phenomena (See Mysteries issue #13), recorded EVP onstage and
at booths in the back of the room of a
mans voice saying, They know me.
And when the segment on Frank Sinatra was filmed in the showroom for the
British television show Dead Famous in
the fall of 2004, a sance was conducted
as part of the investigation. During that
sance, the medium apparently made
contact with Sammy Davis Jr. and another more ominous presence who demanded that the participants, Get out!
Several strange photos were collected
during this investigation and temperature
fluctuations were noted on-stage. In the
area backstage where Sam Giancana had
sat and watched Phyllis McGuire, psychic
Chris Fleming claimed to make contact
with a presence that had apparently committed suicide in this area years before.
After filming was completed, an employee informed the crew that a former
employee had indeed committed suicide
in the same area that Fleming felt such
strong emotions.
In addition, high electromagnetic
fields were observed and temperature
fluctuations reported. Both are strong
indicators of possible paranormal activity. When coupled with Flemings observances, these findings seem all the
more remarkable. But startling evidence
has also been gathered in other areas of
the Cal-Neva.
Monroes Cabin
n spite of the fact that Marilyn Monroe is said to haunt the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles (See
Mysteries issue #7), the house where she
died in Brentwood, CA, and the mausoleum in Hollywood where she is interred, the beautiful actress reportedly
also haunts the Cal-Neva Resort.
A simple one-room unit surrounded by
tall pines and gray granite boulders on
three sides, there is nothing glamorous
about Monroes cabin #3. However, the

view of Lake Tahoe from its deck and
front window is breathtaking.
Understandably, it is Monroes cabin
where most ghost-hunters choose to conduct their investigations. Psychics have reported making contact with the star while
in the cabin, and cold spots have been reported here, as well. Several orb photos
have been obtained during investigations
of the cabin.
Reportedly, in 1998, a beautiful blonde
woman was seen crying one night in a
hallway. A security guard was called to
help her and when he asked her what was
wrong, she turned and walked straight
through the wall. Could this spectre have
been the ghost of the legendary screen
actress? During filming of a segment for
Americas Most Haunted Hotels on the
Travel Channel in 2002, ghost investigators cameras and electromagnetic field
detectors inexplicably stopped working in
Monroes cabin. Once the investigators
returned to another area, their equipment
started working again.
Water, according to some, is a magnet
for unexplained paranormal activity. This
being the case, the Cal-Neva Lodges location at Crystal Bay on the shores of
Lake Tahoe might account for some of
the unexplained phenomena. Then, too,
there is the realm of human emotion to
consider. Surely powerful emotions were
at work when Frank Sinatra was forced to
leave his beloved lodge for the last time.
And although she found solace here,
Marilyn Monroe probably endured deep
heartache alone in her tiny cabin night
after night.
All are strong emotions that may imprint themselves on the surroundings or
give rise to hauntings. But are these the
reasons for the reported phenomena at
the Cal-Neva? Its connection to Frank
Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and the Rat
Pack makes the Cal-Neva Lodge a popular spot with ghost enthusiasts and history
buffs alike. z
ISSUE
#21
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Mysteries on Exhibit
Detroit Science Center
East Coast
DETROIT, MI
(313) 577-8400 I WWW.DETROITSCIENCECENTER.ORG
Carnegie Museum of Natural History

PITTSBURGH, PA
(412) 622-3131 I WWW.CARNEGIEMNH.ORG
inosaurs in their Time (through

Aug. 31, 2008) Take a journey
back millions of years to the
world of dinosaurs. See actual dinosaur
bones and skeletons, posed in their natural
habitats, and get the real stories.
National Gallery of Art
WASHINGTON, DC
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idden Treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan

(May 25-Sep. 7, 2008) This exhibit
features
nearly 230 treasures, including
gold objects
from
the
famed Bactrian
h o a rd ,
a 2,000year-old
t re a s u re
cache revealed in 2003.
The exhibit explores the rich
cultural heritage of
ancient Afghanistan, the
crossroads of civilizations in central Asia.
The Franklin Institute
PHILADELPHIA, PA
(215) 448-1200 I WWW2.FI.EDU
eal Pirates: The Untold Story of

the Whydah from Slave Ship to
Pirate Ship (through Aug. 31,
2008) This exhibit uses more than 200 artifacts recovered from the wreck site of
Black Sam Bellamy's Whydah, which sank
off Cape Cod in 1717, to tell the com-
40
pelling story of the first fully authenticated

pirate ship ever found in American waters.
See the ships bell, weapons, and mundane
objects, including clay pipes, a teakettle,
wine spigots, and an inkwell, as well as its
golden treasure. Also learn the real stories
of the West African artisans and traders,
slave ship captains and their captives, Native American boat pilots, impoverished
European sailors, and pirates who populated the Atlantic world in the age of slavery and piracy.
SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure

(through Sep. 1, 2008) This interactive
multimedia exhibit teaches visitors about
the history of shipwrecks and pirates, and
allows them to experience the research,
search, archaeological recovery, and conservation involved in the quest for deep-sea
knowledge and treasures.
Science Museum of Minnesota
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(651) 221-4585 I WWW.SMM.ORG
Star Wars: Where Imagination Meets

Science (through Aug. 24, 2008) This
exhibit combines costumes and props from
Midwest
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
DAYTON, OH
(937) 275-7431 I WWW.BOONSHOFTMUSEUM.ORG
hinasaurs (May 31-Sep. 8,

2008) This exhibit features diving
videos, and cast skeletons of rare
and large Chinese
dinosaurs that
are
littleknown in the
U.S., accompanied
by authentic fossils,
scenic elements,
and interactives, including activity carts,
skeleton dig pits, and a
preparation
laboratory
with real fossils.
all six Star Wars films with real-world technologies; video interviews with filmmakers, scientists, and engineers; and two large
Engineering Design Labs, where visitors
can build and test speeders and robots. Visitors can explore prototypes, learn about
the engineers and designers who are creating new technologies, and discover intriguing similarities between how scientists
and filmmakers think.
ISSUE
#21
Featured Exhibit
Museum of the Rockies
BOZEMAN, MT
(406) 994-3466
WWW.MUSEUMOFTHEROCKIES.ORG
GLOW: Living Lights (through

Sep. 1, 2008) From the incredible
depths of the mid-ocean to suburban backyards, fascinating creatures
both familiar and mysterious are
lighting up the dark. This exhibit
features everything from live animals to displays activated by hidden
laser beams to help visitors discover
how and why organisms create
their own light.
Outside the U.S.

Time & Tide Museum
of Great Yarmouth
GREAT YARMOUTH, ENGLAND
South
Lowe Art Museum
MIAMI, FL
(305) 284-3535 I WWW6.MIAMI.EDU/LOWE
Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries

from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian
Archaeology at University College
London (June 28-Nov. 2, 2008) This
exhibit presents the most important finds
from
the
Petrie Museum, one
of
the
worlds
most important collections
of
Egyptian
antiquities.
The exhibit
uses photographs, excavation notes, and
personal journals to bring the science of
archaeology and the early days of Egyptology to life.
Moody Gardens
(+44) 1493 743930
GALVESTON, TX
WWW.MUSEUMS.NORFOLK.GOV.UK
(800) 582-4673 I WWW.MOODYGARDENS.COM
Shipwreck: For those in Peril on the

Sea (through Sep. 28, 2008) This exhibit presents dramatic tales of loss and
bravery that reveal Yarmouth's fearsome
reputation as one of the most dangerous
shorelines for mariners.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit (through

Sep. 7, 2008) Marvel at the incredible effort it took to recover these artifacts from
2.5 miles below the surface of the sea, and
learn of the personal sacrifice and courage
that dominates the most important shipwreck of modern maritime history.
The O2 - Millennium Dome

GREENWICH, ENGLAND
West Coast
The Bowers Museum
of Cultural Art
SANTA ANA, CA
(714) 567-3600 I WWW.BOWERS.ORG
Terra Cotta Warriors:

Guardians of the First Emperor (May 18-Oct. 12,
2008) Explore one of the
greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century
and glean insights into
China's first emperor, Qin
Shihuangdi, and his legacy.
+44 (0)870 606 2000 I WWP.MILLENNIUMDOME.COM
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age

of the Pharaohs (through Aug. 31,
2008) This exhibit features more
than 130 treasures from tombs,
royal graves, and ancient sites
in the Valley of the Kings, including 50 major objects from
the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Among the artifacts from
King Tuts tomb are his gold
crown and the canopic
coffinette that contained his
mummified internal organs.
JUDITH KANE
41
Arcane Cults
THE JOHN FRUM MOVEMENT
A South Pacific Cargo Cult

F
Once derided as a mere
cargo cult, today, scholars
recognize the John Frum
movement as a unique
religious movement and a
monument to cultural
dissonance.
42
by Kenaz Filan
or over 70 years, many natives of
Tanna, an island in the South Pacific, have awaited John Frum,
King of America, and his ensuing reign
of bliss and prosperity. On the island,
every February 15th is celebrated as John
Frum Day, when followers dress up in
cast-off U.S. army uniforms and engage in
military drills with bamboo rifles. Others
speak into radios made of discarded
wooden boxes, or symbolically guide in
Frums plane from control towers constructed of bamboo and rope.
According to Tannas elders, John
Frum first appeared one night in the late
1930s, when the islands were still part of
the British New Hebrides. Witnesses described a mysterious little man with
bleached hair, high-pitched voice, and
clad in a coat with shining buttons. Frum
preached his message at small tribal gath-
erings from which women and Whites

were excluded.
Since the arrival of the British in 1775,
Scottish Presbyterian missionaries had
preached against idolatry and idleness.
Those who persisted in their superstitions
were sentenced to forced labor or denied
food or medical care. Frum, by contrast,
encouraged the natives of Tanna to stop
following European customs and live as
kastom people. (From the pidgin for
people who follow the old customs.)
He encouraged the regular consumption
of Kava, a mildly narcotic beverage which
had been prohibited by French and American colonial authorities. He also advocated a return to ritual dances, ancestor
worship, penis wrapping, and polygamy.
This message found an enthusiastic audience among the people of Tanna. On
one Sunday morning in 1941, pastors at
Tannas Christian churches came in to
find their services deserted. On Monday,
no students showed up at mission schools.
Natives spent large sums of money in
stores, hoping to rid themselves of the
tainted European currency while a few
true believers even threw their life savings
into the sea. Feasts were held and all-night
dances celebrated John Frums imminent
coming.
British and American authorities tried to
halt what they saw as a revolt in the making, but they were stymied, as they had no
idea who this John Frum might be. Finally, they arrested and imprisoned a native
named Manehivi who had claimed to be
Frum. Although Manehivi was eventually
exposed as an imposter, the movement did
not die. From the British prison in Vila yet
another claimant to John Frums titlea
policemans assistant named Joe Nalpin
sent letters instructing followers to Hold
ISSUE
#21
Arcane Cults
firm for John Frum!
Each time the authorities arrested one
John Frum, another arose in his place.
Colonial authorities searched for Frum
as if he were an individual, and hence
their efforts were doomed to failure.
Vanatu, like other Micronesian and Pacific Island cultures, has a long tradition
of spirit possession in a ritual context. In
spirit possession, individual shamans or
priests become entranced and lose consciousness while something else takes
control of their body. That something
else, which can be identified as a god, a
spirit, or an ancestorthen offers healing and counsel to the audience. The
police could arrest worshippers and even
priests but: they were powerless to stop
the noncorporeal entity which called itself John Frum.
A Plethora of Frums
hen in 1942, locals claimed that
Australian Cataline flying boats
patrolling Tanna and neighboring
islands for Japanese ships, troops and
fighter planes were bringing Isaac, Jacob,
and Lastuan (Last One), John Frums
three sons to Tanna, where it was believed that they would help to establish
John Frums kingdom.
Other rumors claimed that John Frum
was really Karaperamun, god of Mount
Tukosmeru, the islands highest mountain. Deep inside that mountain, some
believe, an army of his followers waited
for his signal.
Already tense as the Pacific war
loomed, authorities locked up numerous
Frum followers and several Frum pretenders. But instead of quelling the violence, these heavy-handed tactics only
served to stir up trouble. Natives who
were imprisoned for their role in the
Frum movement only became more
popular and influential, and resentment
against British authorities grew.
Then Neloaig, still another native
leader who proclaimed himself John
Frum, recruited an army and encouraged fellow natives to join them in

building a runway in the middle of the
island. Once that runway was complete,
Neloaig said, John Frums father would
arrive from America. Natives who failed
to assist were warned of future bombings by invisible airplanes. When that
proved unconvincing, time-honored tactics such as beatings and the burning of
huts were used.
After British agents arrested Neloaig,
they faced armed mobs demanding his
release. And when they arrived at his
airstrip, they were greeted by hundreds of workers preparing for Johns arrival. An officer tried to convince them
that the John Frum movement was superstition. But when that did not work,
they burned down a hut. This silenced
many of the calls for revolution, but the
missionaries found that their churches
and schools were still empty.
Frum an American?
t first, Frums origins were unclear. Says Chief Kahuwya, leader
of Yakel village, He was a white
man who spoke our language, but he didnt tell us then he was an American. But
World War II brought American troops
to the islands. Many natives got jobs
working on American army bases, where
they received good wages and other
perks.
At the wars end, the U.S. military
bulldozed tons of equipment off the
coast rather than ship it back to the
States. This cemented the myths of limitless American wealth. And so the Frum
movement, which had at first railed
against colonialism, took on a strange
messianic and capitalist strain. Once it
had been said that John Frum would arrive with armies to drive out European intruders. Now his followers saluted the
Stars and Stripes and prayed that John
Frum would come back from America
with radios, TVs, trucks, boats, watches,
iceboxes, medicine, Coca-Cola, and

many other wonderful things.
In 1980, the New Hebrides gained
their independence from Great Britain
and became the nation of Vanatau. Most
of the missionaries left with the colonial
authorities, and the islands became even
more isolated. Then in 1999, those who
waited for Frum found themselves facing
a new challenge. While working on a Korean fishing boat, a Tanna resident named
Fred Nasse had a vision.
Renaming himself Prophet Fred, he
predicted that Lake Siwi, one of the islands largest bodies of water, would
break its natural dam and flood into the
ocean. When Prophet Freds prediction
came true six months later, many of the
locals decided to follow him in place of
John Frum.
Tensions between the two camps escalated until a small-scale civil war broke
out in 2004. The battle involved over
400 villagers and resulted in more than
50 injuries and a half-dozen burned huts.
Leaders of both sides were able to mollify injured feelings with a ceremony at
which pigs and cows were exchanged.
But relations between the followers of
John Frum and Prophet Fred remain
tense.
Despite all these obstacles, Frums followers continued to meet on the beach
and wait for his arrival. Were waiting in
our village for you, John, they sung to
the accompaniment of homemade ukuleles. When are you coming with all the
cargo you promised us?
As Daniel Yamyam, a former member
of Vanuatus Parliament, says, Im now
a Christian, but like most people on
Tanna, I still have John Frum in my
heart. If we keep praying to John, hell
come back with plenty of cargo.
Whether or not he arrives with the
promised iceboxes and Coca-Cola, few
can deny that John Frum has left an indelible mark on the religion and culture
of Tannas people. z
43
From the Skies
2008: The Year of the UFO?

by Tim Swartz
ysterious lights in the sky over
the Texas community of
Stephenville generated worldwide media attention and got 2008 off
to an interesting start in the weird world
of UFOs. Now, other UFOs have been
spotted and videotaped flying over
Florida, Arizona, and Vietnam and even
though officials have tried to dismiss
these sightings, more people are beginning to wonder if there is something to
this whole UFO thing.
On January 8, 2008, more than 30 residents of Stephenville, TX, including a
pilot, county constable, and business
owners, claimed to have seen a UFO flying low and fast with bright lights.
Steve Allen, a 50-year-old pilot, said
the object was a mile long and half a mile
wide, with flashing strobe lights. He said
the UFO sped away at more than 3,000
mph, followed by two fighter jets that
were hopelessly outmaneuvered. Allen
said it took the aircraft just a few seconds
to cross a section of sky that it takes him
20 minutes to fly in his Cessna.
Additionally, Constable Lee Roy Gaitan reported that he and another police
44
officer, who was in a different location,

had seen a huge cigar-shaped craft with
two antennas topped by red lights moving slowly about 300 to 400 feet in the
air near the Stephenville courthouse. He
described it as approximately two to
three football fields long.
Military officials at first denied they
had any flights in the area the night of
January 8. However, after repeated questioning by the national media, Air Force
Reserve Command Public Affairs admitted to having F-16 fighters in the air that
night, but said that they were just performing training operations.
Triangle UFO Over Florida

n March 14, a rotating triangle
of three white lights caught the
attention of some Wesley
Chapel, FL residents. Witnesses reported that the object flew slowly and
silently around 500 feet overhead. The
Pasco County Sheriff s Office says some
Wesley Chapel residents called 911
around 6:25 a.m. wondering what they
were seeing.
Luis Jimenez, 34, was hauling his trash
to the curb when the UFO caught his
eye. He grabbed his camcorder and
started shooting. By that time, half a
dozen cars had pulled over to watch the
silent object fly by. It looked pretty high
up, but I couldnt tell how high,
Jimenez. I dont know what it was, but
they were really, really bright lights.
There were three blue lights at first, and
they seemed to be going clockwise. Then
there came the red flashing light and at
some point, the lights started going
counter-clockwise.
Jimenez, who also called the Sheriff s
department, says he logged some 15
minutes of footage as the triangular array
hovered, before moving off to the west
ISSUE
#21
From the Skies

at a high rate of speed.
Yet despite the multiple eyewitnesses
and Jimenezs impressive video, a
deputys report dismissed the object as a
balloon.
UFO Returns to Arizona
ed lights flying in formation appeared above Phoenix, AZ, on
the night of April 21. Witnesses
said the lights formed a vertical line, then
a diamond shape, followed by a u-shape.
The lights reportedly moved from side to
side and upward before disappearing.
Phoenix resident Tony Toporkek was
talking with his neighbors when the lights
appeared at about 8 p.m. He grabbed his
video camera and started taping. The
lights were visible for about 13 minutes.
A Phoenix police helicopter pilot also
witnessed the lights and described them
as resembling flares. Air traffic controllers
in the main tower of Phoenix Sky Harbor
International Airport saw the bizarre
spectacle of red lights flying across North
Valley skies, but Ian Gregor, FAA regional
spokesman, says the agencys policy forbids controllers to comment. However,
Gregor confirmed that several air traffic
controllers in the tower saw the staggered
formation of mysterious lights moving in
the sky.
A spokesperson from Luke Air Force
Base in the West Valley said that the pattern of the lights was not common to an
F-16 and that the lights were not from
the air force base.
It appears that 2008 is off to a rip-roaring start when it comes to UFO sightings. The one factor that is working in
favor of ensuring that the national media
covers these sightings is the use of video
cameras to record these events. Even
though reporters and news anchors still
insist on treating these stories with a wink
and a giggle, the fact that they are covering these stories at all is a refreshing step
in the right direction. z
UFO Crash in Vietnam
ietnam state media then reported that an unidentified flying object

exploded in mid-air over a Vietnamese island on May 27, 2008.
Residents of Phu Quoc Island reported that they heard an explo-
sion, saw something burning in the sky, and later found shards of metal de-
bris on the ground.

The Vietnam News Agency said the explosion apparently occurred five
miles above the ground, but authorities could not identify what kind of aircraft was involved. Soldiers were sent out to look for wreckage and survivorsand local authorities contacted airlines in Vietnam, Cambodia, and
Thailandbut received no reports of missing aircraft.
The Military Command of Phu Quoc District said militias and residents
had recovered 14 metal pieces to date. So far, the debris has not been identified as coming from any known aircraft.
TIM SWARTZ
45
crypto corral
Lion Around in West Virginia
ost wildlife agencies agree that
the once-prolific wild cats are
now extinct in states east of the
Mississippi River, with the sole exception
of a small and ever-dwindling population
in south Florida. Still, sightings of cougars
persist to the present day, complicated, in
some cases, by reports of large cats alien to
North America.
One such sighting occurred near Cold
Knob, WV, on October
17, 2007. Deer
hunter
Jim
Shortridge, age
72, was stalking his prey
with bow
and arrow,
when
he
supposedly
met
an
African lion in
the
woods.
When I first saw
it, I thought it was a
deer, Shortridge told
the Charleston Daily Mail. Then it
growled at me. I watched it for more than
40 minutes. It paced back and forth, in
front of the blind, about 10 yards away.I
kept shining my light into his eyes. The
more I put the light on him, the louder he
growled.
Shortridge insisted that the creature was
a lion, weighing some 250 to 350 pounds.
It had a mane, so I could tell it was a
male, he said. And Im sure it wasnt a
bear. Bears are all over Cold Knob. I see
six to eight of them every time I go hunting, and I can tell the difference.
Local authorities shared that feeling.
Robert McClung, Greenbrier Countys
senior animal-control officer, told the
Daily Mail, Were treating this pretty seriously. Right now, were trying to confirm
the initial report. Once we do that, well
figure out what were going to do.
Curtis Taylor, wildlife resources chief for
46
the states Department of Natural Resources, told reporters that Shortridge was
the second witness to report a lion in the
neighborhood. It has been reported twice
now, Taylor told the Daily Mail. Its not
outside the realm of possibility, mainly because people keep as pets a lot of animals
that shouldnt be kept as pets. When they
get too big, too expensive, or too dangerous, those people start looking for places
to get rid of them.
Beast of Bolivia, NC
hile lion hunters scoured rural
West Virginia in vain, a mysterious predator made its presence felt in Bolivia, NC. Brunswick
Countys Health Department issued a
public call for caution on October 10,
2007, after residents claimed seeing an
unidentified big cat.
Bill Robinson, a local resident, blamed
the elusive felid for killing two of his sons
Bigfoot in Romania and Mars?
n February 8, 2008, two travelers near Lepsa, Romania, had their car stuck on a snowy
mountain road. While trying to extricate the vehicle, they sawand photographeda
large unknown bipedal primate. One of the witnesses, known only as morkov88,
posted a 35-second video clip of the encounter on YouTube.com. The resultant video clip includes five jerky seconds of a hairy
biped staring from a distance at the
camera, then retreating to the forest
on its right. The still photos are
something else entirelycrystal clear
and clearly suspect. In the first shot,
it is shown dragging a log beneath its
right arm. In the second and third
frames, only the head and shoulders
are seen in profile.
What should we make of this incident? Suspicions arise on all sides,
beginning with the fact that the stillphoto landscape bears no visible resemblance to the roadway, which is
overhung with trees. Viewers are left
to judge for themselves.
If the photos from Romania are not intriguing enough, consider the snapshot purporting to
depict an unknown bipedal creature striding across the rocky landscape of Mars. Britains Mail
on Sunday broke the story on January 22, 2008, crediting the photo to an unspecified Chinese
web site maintained by self-styled alien hunters who devote every spare moment to scanning NASA photographs for
evidence of life on Mars. They
spotted the curious shape in
footage of the Gusev Crater,
filmed in early September,
2007, by the roving robot
Spirit.
Thus far, NASA has no comment on the image. Some observers dismiss the object as
a simulacrum created by rock
formations and shadows.
MICHAEL NEWTON
ISSUE
#21
crypto corral
dogs in September. Both dogs were
found dead, with blood leaking from
their ears, but with no other obvious
wounds. Robinson told the Wilmington
Star that two weeks after he buried the
dogs, some unknown scavenger dug up
one dogs bones. Richard Cooper, director of animal services for Brunswick
County, confirmed the death of a third
dog, owned by Leon Williams, on October 8.
One day later, Robinson found unfamiliar droppings on his property, accompanied by pawprints that measured three
inches in diameter and displayed prominent claw marks. Cooper analyzed the evidence, but failed to identify the beast in
question. We made comparisons to
other animal tracks on the Internet,
Cooper told the Star, and the tracks we
found come close to a bobcat[s], but it
would have to be an extremely large cat
and they generally arent that big. At this
point, I dont have any idea of what it
could be.
In fact, Cooper said, he was short of
evidence all the way around. We actually
havent seen any of the animals that were
killed because they were buried All I
know is that there are too many people
having their dogs killed for there not to
be something out there.
ABCs Down Under

ritain has no corner on the modern ABC explosion. Australias
latest big-cat flap officially began
on January 1, 2008, when Victorias
Geelong Advertiser reported a sighting by
witness Simon Raik-Allen at Erskin
Falls. Raik-Allen described the cat as a
black panther measuring roughly five
feet long and 20 inches tall at the shoulder.
Coliban water bailiff Dennis Clapham
met the same cat while driving toward
the Harcourt Valley Vineyards on January 6. I saw this big black cat as it was
A Bevy of Beasts: UK Bound
essie is not Great Britains only cryptid. Throughout the island nation, alien big cats
(ABCs) appear with clockwork regularity, logging more than 1,000 appearances per
year. The latest predators at large include:
The Beast of Reading: A black panther seen by multiple witnesses around Pangbourne,
Caversham, and the village of Ashampstead in November, 2007. Aside from eyewitness reportswhich police typically attribute to hoaxes, mass hysteria, or misidentification of other
speciesthe prowler left a felid paw print that was photographed for posterity.
The Beast of Bretton: Sighted by a Peterborough prison guard on Christmas Day, 2007, this
tan creature resembled a North American cougar. Witness Howard Moody told the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, It was definitely not a dog and it was far too big to be a normal
house cat. It was three foot high and five or six foot long. I think it was probably a puma I
think it must have been round there because there are so many rabbits and rats nearby.
The Beast of Castor: Another black panther, reported from Castor Hanglands since 2005,
most recently sighted by witness Ian Parr in January, 2008. While police speculated that he
may have seen a dog, Parr maintains that he is sure the creature was a large cat. I was walking my dog at about 7:30 a.m., Parr told the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. I looked round
and there was this black cat, but the length of its tail which was curved up at the end convinced me it was a big cat. It was 25
yards away in a ditch The body
was at least two and a half feet long,
and its tail was nearly as long.
The Beast of the Bay: A persistent
ABC, most recently reported from
North Yorkshire by taxi driver Wayne
Whisson on February 5, 2008.
Whisson and a companion were returning from the Manchester Airport
when the sighting occurred. As he
told the Whitby Gazette, We were
about two miles outside Pickering
heading towards Whitby on the
A169 when we went round a roundabout. It was coming out the woods
and the light caught its eyes making
them light up. It was big. I have a
golden Labrador and it was easily
bigger than that.
The Cole Green Carnivore: A creamcolored ABC was spotted in Welwyn, by John Macovich, in mid-February 2008. Macovich was
walking his dog on Cole Green when he met the cat, which he described as three feet tall at
the shoulder. Macovich told the Welwyn and Hatfield Times, I saw something in the distance At first I didnt know what it was, but as we got closer, I could see it was some kind
of big cat. We got about 70 yards away from the creature and it did not move, it just looked
at us. It was about the size of a Great Dane. At this point we made a retreat and as I looked
behind us, it had run off. Im sure it was a big cat though, just by its mannerisms.
MICHAEL NEWTON
47
crypto corral
just emerging from the long grass, he
told the Advertiser. I saw it and it saw
me, then it took off like a scalded cat. I
was a bit skeptical to start with, but the
more you listen to people around here,
and hear anecdotally of mauled sheep or
kangaroos chomped in half and dragged
halfway up trees, it makes you wonder
what the hell it is. If feral cats can get
that big, then Im scared.
Mysterious Diseases
Sickening Wildlife
he U.S. Wildlife Conservation Society is trying to figure out why jack rabbits have vanished from Yellowstone National Park. Historical records indicate that white-tailed jack
rabbits were once abundant in Greater Yellowstone, a 23,166-square-mile ecosystem
that contains the Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. Joel
Berger of the University of Montana said the lack of jack rabbits could be due to disease, extreme weather, or predation.
The absence of jack rabbits may also be causing elevated predation by coyotes on juvenile elk, pronghorn, and other ungulates.
He suggests that wildlife managers should consider reintroducing the
rabbits.
However, rabbits are not the only animal in North America that are having unexplained troubles. In
2007, beekeepers reported that many of
their hives had been devastated by a mysterious ailment,
called Colony Collapse
Disorder.
Many fear that
2008 will be even worse
for the nations bees.
As well, scientists are also puzzled by what is killing off thousands of
bats in New York, Massachusetts, and now Vermont. The mysterious
disease is called white nose syndrome, but scientists acutally know little about the disease. Some of the
dead bats have been found with
white fungus on their muzzles,
though the fungus has not been
found on every dead bat. It has
not been determined whether the
fungus is causing the sickness or is the
symptom of a different disease.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department bat biologist Scott
Darling says that the disease appears to be happening quickly
and the bats are showing a 95 percent fatality rate. It is scary and disconcerting and we cant
get our arms around the problem.
TIM SWARTZ
48
Its a Bird... Its a Plane....

ccording to local newspaper reports, a 29-year-old resident of
Wenatchee, WA, crashed his car
into a light pole at 11:30 p.m. on December 27, 2007, damaging the vehicle
beyond repair. The unnamed driver was
transported to Central Washington Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and a breathalyzer test revealed a
minimal amount of alcohol. The accident was not unusual, but the drivers explanation ranks as unique.
According to Sgt. Cherie Smith, of Wenatchees Police Department, when the
man was asked to explain his accident, he
replied with a single word: Pterodactyl.
Most paleontologists agree that the flying reptiles known as pterodactyls died
out at the end of the Cretaceous period,
around 65 million years ago. Clearly, none
are presumed to be soaring above modern-day Wenatchee. Yet reports of big
birds that resemble pterodactyls have
been logged in modern times from
Africa (where they are known as
kongamato), Papua New Guinea
(where natives call them ropen),
and from various locales in the
United States.
New Guineas Dragon
eports from February, 2008, describe a fugitive Komodo dragon
terrorizing residents of Lae, on
Papua New Guineas northwest coast. On
February 8, Police Commander Inspector
Ben Neneo told Brisbanes Courier-Mail,
Some people sighted this creature and
told police. At the moment we are trying
to search for the animal. They want to
ISSUE
#21
crypto corral
capture it but if needs be,
they will kill it.
That came as no surprise, as Komodo dragons are not native to
New Guinea. Their
wild range is restricted to five
small Indonesian islands of Komodo,
Rinca, Flores, Gili
Motang, and Gili
Dasami. (New Guinea
has its own large
lizard, the Papuan monitor, with a record length
of eight feet.)
Despite talk of catching or killing the unidentified
reptile, police in Lae had no success.
Ten soldiers joined the hunt on February 10, but all in vain. Officials canceled any further searches on February
12, amid suggestions that the whole
incident was a hoax.

Parallel rumors
claimed that an
unnamed expatriate owner
had offered 1000
kina ($400) for the
lizards return. Thus far,
the supposed
reward has
not been collected.
Extinction,
Round Two?
merican
ornithologists and
cryptozoologists
were jubilant in 2005, when
a research team from Cornell University reported sightings of extinct ivorybilled woodpeckers in the Arkansas
wilderness. Team members caught
none of the birds on film or in the
flesh, but brought home audio recordings that convinced a major portion of
the scientific community to support
further searches.
Sadly, no other sightings or recordings have been verified since the original discovery, and now it seems that
the elusive birds may once again be
written off by penny-pinching bureaucrats. In 2007, the U.S. Department
of Fish and Wildlife awarded a
$50,000 IBW-research grant to John
Arvins Gulf Coast Observatory while
the department itself sponsored woodpecker
searches
in
Arkansas,
Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina. None have borne results so far,
and while the annual Fish and Wildlife
budget for ivory-bill recovery
presently stands at $1.2 million
roughly the cost of 90 minutes combat in Iraqthat funding may be
eliminated if proof of the birds survival is not found in 2008.
MERMAID
SEEN IN SOUTH
AFRICAN RIVER
mermaid has reportedly been spotted in the

Buffelsjags river near the South African village of Suurbraak on January 5, 2008, when
resident Daniel Cupido said he and a group of
friends, who were relaxing at a camp site next to the
river, heard a noise. Suspecting vandals, Cupido
walked toward the sound, where he saw a white
woman with long, black hair thrashing about in the
water.
Thinking the woman was drowning, he waded toward her, but stopped when he noticed a reddish
glow in her eyes. He said the sight sent shivers
down his spine. Martin Olckers said he saw what
was definitely a female figure swimming, first on
one side of the low-water bridge, then on the other,
and then standing on the bridge before diving back
into the black water.
Olckers said the figure was making the strangest
sound, like a woman crying. Olckerss mother Dina,
who also witnessed the mysterious creature, said it
had an eerie, silver-white glow and sounded so sorrowful that my heart could take it no more.
Her husband Martinus said the figure was the
legendary Kaaiman, a creature their parents had
warned them about, but they never believed existed. The Kaaiman is described as a half-human,
half-fish creature that lived in deep pools in the
river. It is white in color and has long, black hair and
red eyes. The last sighting of the Kaaiman was
about 15 years ago and some villagers say the
Kaaiman is responsible for drownings in the river,
believing it traps unsuspecting humans with objects
that their hearts desire.
TIM SWARTZ
MICHAEL NEWTON
49
Interview
MARY ANN WINKOWSKI
The Original Ghost Whisperer

Mary Ann Winkowski has
been seeing and speaking
with the dead since she was a
child. Now, as a happily
married mother living in
Cleveland, she still helps
wayward souls cross over. She
is also the consultant for
the hit CBS show Ghost
Whisperer, a published
author, a columnist
for CBS.com, and a regular
guest on The Insider,
Entertainment Tonight,
and Access Hollywood.
50
by Michael Lohr
When did you first realize that you
could communicate with the dead?
y grandmother first realized
that I could see spirits when I
was 26 months old. My
grandmother had the ability to talk to
spirits in her dreams. In those days, when
someone died in Europe, it took six to
seven weeks for the news to reach America. But my grandmother would get a certain feeling during the day and that night,
she would go to sleep and dream of the
person who had died. When she woke up
in the morning, she would contact that
persons relatives and tell them that there
had been a death in Europe and forward
any last message that she had received in
her dream to their family.
When I was two years old I visited my
grandparents. My grandmother had a
dream the night before about a death of
a neighbors brother and was telling my
grandfather over breakfast in Italian about
her dream. She then went across the
street to tell her neighbor that her
brother had died overnight. After breakfast, she sent me off to play in the sunroom. In a little while, she heard me
talking to someone and found me in the
sunroom talking to what appeared to be
the air, in the corner of the room.
At first she thought that maybe I was
repeating what she and grandpa had been
talking about over breakfast, but she asked
me a few questions to ask the ghost, questions that a two-year-old could not make
up the answers to, and received the correct answers back. By the time I was four
years old, she was taking me to family funerals to talk to the deceased spirits and
help send them across to the other side.
Your first encounters had to have

been terrifying. Who did you first
describe your abilities to?
s I started seeing and talking to
the dead at such an early age, it all
seemed very natural to me. But at
the age of seven, I realized that not everyone could do what I do. Grandmother always told me not to talk about my psychic
abilities to others, as she said that some
people would not understand and that my
parents would get into trouble.
When I was seven, I saw a shabby-looking person following one of my friends
down the hall in school. I went to a
Catholic school and in those days, the
nuns still wore the full habit. I went to my
Sister in the hall and told her that a
strange man was following my friend. The
nun looked down the hall, saw nothing,
and said that it was only her guardian
angel and not to worry.
If you have ever been in a Catholic
school you know that there are an abundance of pictures of guardian angels;
beautiful angels with haloes and wings,
holding children on their laps. But the
man I saw was no guardian angel.
Two weeks later, we were on the playground at recess and I saw the same
shabby-looking man again following my
friend. The same nun that had been in the
hall two weeks earlier had been assigned
playground duties. So I ran up to her and
said, that same man is following Susie
again. This might have been okay if I
had left it at that, but I stomped my foot
and said, and dont tell me that it is a
guardian angel. I know that he isnt.
At this point, the nun lifted me up by
my arm and said if I do not stop with this
nonsense that I was going to have to see
the Father and would not make my First
ISSUE
#21
Interview
wishes she had the ability to see ghosts,
but does not while my younger daughter
has it and wishes she did not.
Why are the spirits of children different
from those of adults?
hen you die and do not cross
over, you stay the same age.
You do not get smarter, more
attractive, or have any special talents that
you did not have when you were alive. So
children are sometimes afraid to cross into
the light for fear of being punished for
something they did when they were alive.
Have you ever encountered

a non-human ghost?
bsolutely! Animal spirits are very
common. In fact, my pet Bichon
is still with me. He died many
years ago but refuses to cross over. He is
sort of a no maintenance pet.
James Van Praagh wrote the forward

on When Ghosts Speak. How did you
first meet him and how did the idea for
Ghost Whisperer come about?
ames Van Praagh contacted me when
he had his daily TV show (See Mysteries issue #7), Beyond. He was going
to perform a spirit extrication at a home
in Oklahoma City, OK, that was plagued
with both earthbound and crossed-over
spirits and asked me if I would help clear
the house. We met in Oklahoma City the
day before the taping and had supper.
Naturally, we both had questions for each
other on how we do what we do. At the
taping the next day, I contacted the earthbound spirit in the home and sent him to
the light. That evening at dinner, James
told me that what I do would make a
great TV series. That was the first idea for
Ghost Whisperer. z
Communion.
This time, I talked to my grandmother
about what had happened and she explained to me that not everyone could do
what I do and that I should not talk
about it. I listened to her so well that I
was married to my husband Ted for two
years before I told him that I had the abil-
ity to see and speak with the dead.

Do you believe that psychic
gifts are hereditary?
hese gifts I am sure were inherited from my grandmother. My
mother and three sisters have no
psychic abilities. My oldest daughter
To learn more about Mary Ann, visit

www.maryannghostbuster.com or check out
the CBS Ghost Whisperer web site:
www.cbs.com/primetime/ghost_whisperer/.
51
52
ISSUE
#21
C ALIFORNIA S
UNDERGROUND REALMS ,
T HE
MY TH OF
WHETHER CONTAINING
STRANGE CREATURES ,
FABULOUS TREASURES , OR
TRACES OF LONG VANISHED
CIVILIZATIONS , BOTH
INTRIGUES AND FASCINATES
US .
B UT
DO SUCH MY THS
HAVE ANY BASIS IN REALIT Y ?
The Mysterious
Subterranean
Realms of
California
BY BOB CURRAN
53
According to legend, Indians living along the Little

Sur River would sometimes lead Spanish explorers
into the Pico Blanco (shown here), from which they
would return several days later, their burros laden
with raw silver. However, the Indians insisted that
they go on the final part of their journey alone, much
to the displeasure of the Spaniards, who wanted to
see where the silver might be.
LOST
CIVILIZATION
Big Sur
ne of the most famous lost

worlds of California is said to lie
in the Big Sur area on Montereys
south coast. The region, known as Big
Sur, lies about 25 miles south of Carmel
Mission.
In the latter years of the 19th and the
early part of the 20th century, mining engineer Alfred K. Clark came to Big Sur, trying to find the location of the Indians
mine. Clark, or Uncle Al, as he was
known, was something of an eccentric
character. He was a Union Army War veteran who had spent some time prospecting
in the west before heading for Monterey.
Soon after arriving, he built himself a
rough cabin and homesteaded on the
South Fork of the Little Sur River. He befriended the last surviving members of the
Little Sur Indian tribes and gained the
confidence of one who supposedly revealed the location of the silver mine.
However, the mine was not where the old
man said it was and on Clarks return from
Big Sur, he found that the Indian had
54
Blindfish
died. Nevertheless, he had enough details

to begin a search through the area, during
the remaining years of his life.
Clark eventually found some traces of
silver and headed northwards to seek some
financial support for his venture. In San

Francisco, Dr. Clarence H. Pearce met
with Clark and soon became his foremost
backer. However, months of backbreaking
labor yielded nothing. Disheartened, some
ISSUE
#21
of the backers pulled out. Even so, Clark

declared that he would work on until he
had found the fabled vein of silver.
For the rest of his life, he worked around
Pico Blanco, only coming to town when he
needed supplies or to briefly work for local
ranchers when he needed money. Uncle Al
had, however, made a few friends in the Big
Sur area, one of whom was Al Greer who,
with his family, had given the old man supplies from time to time. When Clark fell sick
in 1930, Greer took him into his home and
tended to him, suspecting that the old man
was dying.
The suspicion proved correct, for what
had started out as a simple fever rapidly de-
veloped into pneumonia. As he was breathing his last, he gathered the family around
his bed and told them that he wished to reveal a secret to them in return for their kindness, a secret that might make them rich.
He admitted that he had never found the
lost silver mine but one day, while working
on some old Indian diggings, Clark had suddenly broken through the wall of an underground shaft, which appeared to lead
directly into the Pico Blanco. He followed it
deep into the mountain where it split into
several tunnels. Going down one of these,
he emerged in a vast and mysterious chamber, which he began to explore.
Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere and curiously shaped rocks rose up
around him. Looking closely, he saw the
marks of ancient mortars and picks on the
rock walls. Part of these caverns had been
carved out by men, he reckoned. He also
noticed strange, pale flowers sprouting from
between the stones. And in a shallow river
which he crossed, pale fish were swimming.
He touched some of the flower petals and
said that they felt as if that they were made
of stone.
Most wondrous of all was a great cavern
in which the rock walls were covered with
curious drawings. In fact, one wall seemed
to be completely covered in what seemed
to be an accurate representation of the

night sky, with certain constellations clearly
marked, as well as drawings of what looked
like prehistoric animals, including men
fighting with what looked like sabertooth
tigers and pictographs of woolly mammoths. Scattered all around was evidence
of some sort of settlement, but Clark did
not pursue further exploration. Instead, he
returned to the surface and mentally
marked the entrance to the strange underworld.
Uncle Al eventually died, leaving the location of the spot to the family gathered
around his bed. However, the Greers simply put his story down to the ramblings of
an old man in the grip of a raging fever.
But when they moved from Monterey, others who had heard the story decided to
hunt for this strange lost world on the
slopes of Pico Blanco.
The tale corresponded with other stories
of large caves in the mountains which
might have once contained life. The stone
flowers which Uncle Al had found might
well have been gypsum blooms, so-called
because of their petal-like appearance,
which are produced when a substance
known as selenite exudes from the cracks in
cavern walls. The small, pale fish were
probably troglobites or blindfish, which
had lost their body pigment from dwelling
so long in the darkness.
Although the search for Uncle Als entrance was extensive, it was never found. To
date, there is no real evidence for Uncle Als
eerie discovery, but the story has become so
famous that from time to time, people still
search for it.
55
VIKING
HOARD
Trampa
Canyon
n the late 1800s, miners Jim Elliot and

Henry Paris were allegedly looking for
a lost silver mine near the California
coastal town of Carmel, searching for a reputed vein of pure silver, when they entered
a lonely ravine in the Trampa Canyon area.
There they found a large, uneven cave
which slanted downwards into the earth.
At its far end, Paris scrambled through a
gap in the cavern wall and found himself in
a kind of rock tunnel. With Elliot following, they descended into a kind of rock
chimney, eventually emerging in a large,
stinking cavern, far underground.
Much of the place seemed to be taken up
with a vast underground lake. The men
walked down to a tiny shore that teemed
with small, pale fish that glowed with a
faint phosphorescence. The rocks were
coated with a strange type of slippery fungus that gave the place a bad air.
Directly in front of them, however, was a
staggering sightthe remains of what ap-
56
peared to be a Viking longship drawn up on

the beach. The men looked in astonishment at the great wooden head carved on
its prow and examined metal locks in which
oars had been positioned. They could not
see any human remains or evidence of a
temporary settlement, nor did there seem to
be any other trace of Viking visitors. Nevertheless, the two were convinced that there
might be some sort of treasure in the darkness of the vast cavern. Elliot, in particular,
had the eerie feeling that they were being
watched. As the foul air from the surrounding fungi started to affect them, they decided to return to the surface and fetch help.
The experience had left them both badly
shaken and when they returned to Carmel,
the first place they went was to a saloon.
One drink led to another and soon they became embroiled in a bar-room brawl in
which both were arrested and sentenced to
a 30 days in the local jail. So it was well
over a month before they had time to
gather together some helpers.
By this time, however, they were unsure
of the exact entrance to the underground
world; all that they could remember was
that it lay somewhere in the area of Trampa
Canyon. They searched several locations
and went into several caves and when they
thought they had found it, it seemed to
have been blocked by a recent rock fall.
If the story is true, then the underground
sea with its rotting Viking ship still lies
down in the dark beneath the highlands of
Monterey.
ISSUE
#21
PIRATE TREASURE
Cypress Point
he Monterey Peninsula is rich in

stories of subterranean cave systems
that allegedly contain fabulous
treasure. Such fortunes have often been
linked to the dreaded Pacific pirate Hippolyte Bouchard, who supposedly used
many of these interior worlds for storing
his loot.
In 1818, Bouchard attacked the coastal
fortress of El Castillo, where three Spanish
treasure ships were supposedly sheltering.
After a brief defiance, the garrison commander and de facto governor of Alta California, Pablo Vincente Sola, withdrew his
forces to Monterey, leaving Bouchard to
loot the ships at will. What became of the
riches that he plundered from them is unknown but there is a legend that he took
them to a deep cavern system somewhere
further along the coast, where they still lie
to this day.
There is a persistent story that in the

early 1920s, a geologist exploring somewhere near Cypress Point on the northwestern end of the Peninsula, blundered
into a series of vast underground caverns.
Down in the dark, he found evidence of
the gypsum blooms that Uncle Al had
found in Big Sur and some evidence of
early human habitation. He also found
three skeletons, some old, rusted flintlocks,
and several large strongboxes, tightly
sealed, which he did not open.
As usual, he is said to have returned to
the surface to get help in retrieving the
treasure but when he returned, he could
not find the spot where he had entered. It
has been suggested that the strongboxes
held at least part of the treasure that
Bouchard had pillaged from the ships at
El Castillo and that they remain there to
this day, waiting for some enterprising
soul to rediscover them.
57
CAVERN OF GIANTS
The Cascade Mountains
erhaps the most famous of all the

Californian treasure cavern stories
comes from the Cascade Mountains
and a man named J.C. Brown.
No one is sure as to what Browns profession was. Some sources state that he was
a geologist, others a mining engineer, and
others yet, a prospector. In any case, in
1904, he was hired by the England-based
Lord Cowdray Mining Company to scout
out various areas of the Cascade Range for
prospective mines.
Brown made at least two visits to the
Cascades. The first was uneventful but during the second, in a lonely mountain area,
Brown suppsedly entered a narrow canyon
which ended in a large and curiously
shaped rock that a recent landslide had
moved slightly. As he came up the canyon,
Brown became aware of a wind blowing
through the gap that had been created out
of the cliff ahead.
Squeezing between the edge of the boulder and the cliff face, he suddenly found
himself in a manmade tunnel that led down
into the earth. Still believing that he was in
Indian workings, he made his way down
slowly, only to find that the tunnel ended
in a narrow chimney which went down
into the dark.
Once again, Brown continued downwards, easing himself down the chimney
and into another short tunnel. He eventually stepped out into a mammoth cavern
which was lined with sheets of beaten copper and contained shields, swords, necklaces, and large statues of ancient men. The
58
copper-lined walls were decorated with battles and cities on fire.

It was the most amazing thing that he
had ever seen and yet, as he stared at all
these sights, Brown had the distinct feeling
that he was being watched. Nevertheless,
he ventured a little further into a second
cavern. Here lay the bones of what appeared to be gigantic men, almost twice the
size of an ordinary human. Some were
dressed in fragments of leathery armor and
some still clutching at rusting weapons
with their bony hands.
Beyond the cavern of skeletons, another
rocky shaft descended into the depths and,
as he stood on its rim, Brown thought he
detected a faint glimmer of light and something large moving at its base far below. He
turned, retraced his steps, and fled to the
surface.
Although he told a few
friends of what he had found,
he did not report the discovery
to the Lord Cowdray Mining
Co. Astonishingly, he left California and did not return to resume his quest until 1934. In that year, he
agreed to meet with a company of speculators late one evening but never showed up.
And his clothes and possessions were still
in his room.
There was one curious twist to the tale,
however. Browns room was on the second
floor and as no one had seen him leave by
the door, the only way that he could have
left the boarding house was from his rooms
upstairs window. By this time, Brown was
an elderly man and nobody could see how
he could have done it. But directly under his
window was an enormous footprint in the
soft soil! To some, it was as though some
giant had simply stood outside his window
and had just lifted him out of the room. To
this day, the fate of J.C. Brownand his
cavern of giantsremains a mystery. z
ISSUE
#21
Some have said that the location of the

entrance to J.C. Browns cavern lay somewhere in Siskiyou County and that it is
somehow connected to nearby Mount Shasta,
which has always enjoyed something of a
mysterious reputation. Some have even
suggested that it is the site of an underground colony of survivors from sunken
Atlantis or Lemuria. Even during the 16th
and 17th centuries, there was talk of a
mysterious subterranean race livng
somewhere in its area.
59
The Mysterious
BLAST
at Californias Port Chicago

by Andrew Hind
60
ISSUE
#21
ort Chicago, located about 35 miles

north of San Francisco, CA, was
built in 1941 as a military port. During World War II, Port Chicago was used
for shipping bullets, bombs, mines,
grenades, and other explosive and combustible materials to U.S. forces fighting in
the Pacific Ocean.
The loading of such deadly materials, and
usually at a frenzied pace, meant that Port
Chicago always hovered on a knifes edge
of disaster. Just a simple slip-up could lead
to untold death and destruction. And yet,
for several years, the dockyards operated
without incident.
Then on July 17, 1944, at 10:20 p.m., a
cataclysmic blast wiped out the entire port
facility. The blast was so powerful that it
left a crater 20 meters deep and 200 me-
ters wide in the river bottom, and body

parts were later found up to a mile away.
Buildings in Port Chicago town, two miles
distant, suffered severe structural damage
and tremors measuring 3.5 on the Richter
scale were recorded as far away as Nevada.
In the days after, newspapers quoted
people who reported seeing a mushroom
cloud rising above the port.
Today, this description sounds eerily like
a nuclear explosion. But the Navy saw
nothing particularly unusual about the
tragic incident, which occurred a year before the first atomic bomb was dropped in
Nagasaki. After 39 days of eyewitness testimony and deliberations, the Court of Inquiry concluded that the explosion
occurred because a supersensitive element
[i.e. some form of explosive] was detonated
in the course of rough handling by an individual or individuals. The explosion, experts believed, probably started on a pier
that was loaded with several thousand tons
of diesel fuel and 429 tons of ammunition,
and then engulfed the SS E.A. Bryan, which
had been loaded with 4,600 tons of munitions, half high-explosive shells.
Other contributing factors included bad
loading procedures, defective munitions,
and the neglect of safety procedures. But
during the course of the inquiry, numerous
incongruities emerged that were ignored
by the board. For example, an Army pilot
61
testified that he had been sent aloft that

night with specific instructions to observe
Port Chicago. But from official records,
there was nothing unusual about that
nights activities that should have warranted sending a plane to observe the port.
One theory which has since arisen suggests that the Port Chicago blast was nuclear in origin, the result of a planned trial
to determine the effects of this heretofore
untested weapon on infrastructure, which
would explain the unusual orders given to
the Army pilot that night.
Could the blast have been nuclear? The
mushroom cloud, smoke ring, sun-like
flash, the tremors, and the unprecedented
scale of the devastation, all are consistent
with early atomic bombs.
An Atomic Bomb?
n 1980, Peter Vogel, while browsing
through a yard sale in New Mexico,
found a box from Los Alamos Laboratories, where the A-bomb was created,
which contained photographs and a piece
of paper labeled History of 10,000-ton
I
62
Gadget. Dated September, 1944, the

drawings resembled schematics for the Abomb, with the note: ball of fire mushroomed out at 18,000 feet in typical Port
Chicago fashion.
This stunned Vogel. Had a nuclear
bomb been tested on American subjects?
He embarked on a two-decade quest to
find out, the result of which is the online
book The Last Wave From Port Chicago,
which summarizes evidence to suggest that
the explosion at Port Chicago was no accident, but rather a capricious test of Americas nuclear capabilities.
One of the incidents that convinced
Vogel of this reality was a meeting with Dr.
Edward Teller, the so-called Father of the
Atomic Bomb. The interview was amiable
until Vogel produced the paper found at
the yard sale and asked about the markings.
Upon seeing them, Teller grew nervous
and evasive and abruptly ended the interview, saying that he would deny ever having seen the incriminating paper. There was
no doubt in Vogels mind that Tellers sudden discomfort suggested he had uncov-
ered something secret, something that had

been intended to remain hidden from the
public. Perhaps even something that,
should it be revealed, threatened the scientists reputation or even his life.
Interest in the Disaster
here is no doubt that Los Alamos
scientists took a considerable interest in the Port Chicago blast. We
know, for example, that then-Captain
William Parsons, who later served on the
Enola Gay during its fateful bombing mission over Hiroshima (and as a rear-admiral
oversaw nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll), submitted a report on the Port Chicago disaster a week after the explosion. It is possible
this report was merely professional curiosity,
but Vogel and other like-minded individuals believe there was more to it.
Supporting this is a report written in
1944 by the director of the Manhattan
Project, James Conant. In it, he suggested
foregoing development of the earliest Abomb prototypes, small tactical weapons
called gun bombs, in favor of larger mod-
ISSUE
#21
els. He cited some unidentified test in July,

1944the same month as the Port
Chicago blastas evidence that the larger
bombs would be more destructive and of
greater strategic value in ending the war.
Curiously, history records no such
atomic test at the Los Alamos facility. So
on what was Conant basing his findings?
Even more curious, officials at Los Alamos
ordered the content records for two of the
boxcars at Port Chicago on July, 17 destroyed. What were these boxcars holding?
Did they, perhaps, contain an atomic bomb
that, accidentally or otherwise, was responsible for the subsequent disaster?
There is some evidence to suggest just
that. The transport ship SS E.A. Bryan, one
of the ships destroyed by the blast, was
bound for Tinian in the Marianas Islands,
an important staging base for B-29
bombers raiding the Japanese Home Islands. In fact, it was from Tinian that the
Enola Gay B-29 took off in 1945.
As well, Port Chicago lies in a county
that, even today, has one of the highest
cancer rates in the U.S. Officially, the unusual cancer rate is accredited to the nearby
Concord Naval Weapons Station, where
ships that were exposed to the Pacific test
blasts in the late 1940s and 50s were
cleaned for contamination and later decommissioned. But perhaps the cancer
rates are the result of contamination by an
A-bomb explosion at the nearby port.
Was the Blast Deliberate?
f the Port Chicago explosion was nuclear, was it deliberate? Since the vast
majority of U.S. Navy sailors and
stevedores at Port Chicago were AfricanAmerican (dock workers were one of the
few roles to which African-Americans
were assigned in the segregated Navy of
the 1940s), government officials might
just have been callous enough to use them
as guinea pigs for testing the capabilities
of an A-bomb. Certainly, the U.S. government had used African-Americans as
unknowing subjects on numerous other
covert experiments in the past, most notably in bio-weapon research (See Mysteries issue #18).
But it does not necessarily follow that
the workers at Port Chicago would be sacrificed in the name of atomic research.
Those who would claim otherwise are ignoring important strategic matters which
almost certainly would have prevented officials from testing an atomic weapon in
this manner, assuming they were callous
enough to even consider such a coldhearted option.
There was a war going on at the time.
General Douglas MacArthur was pushing
through the Dutch East Indies into the
Philippines, and the U.S. Navy was islandhopping across the Central Pacific. In addition, the U.S. was supporting a third
front in China. These three massive offensives required amazing amounts of ammunition and stores, and any logistical let-up
would have caused these thrusts to slow or
halt outright. The resulting lull would have
given the Japanese an opportunity to revive
their defenses, to prolong the war, and to
cause more American casualties. In this
light, it is impossible to imagine that anyone in the U.S. government would knowingly destroy a vital ammunition hub.
In addition, with Port Chicago located
on the western seaboard, where Japanese
submarines and spies were known to lurk,
exploding a secret weapon here would have
risked tipping off the enemy to American
advances and intentions. The possibility of
the blast being witnessed by civilians was
also real. What if the American populace
was so horrified by the implications of an
atomic weapon that they put pressure on
the government not to wield such destructive power? How, then, would the war have
changed? And finally, purposefully exploding an atomic weapon at Port Chicago had
little or no value, simply because the mass
of subsequent explosions would have distorted the effects of the original A-bomb
explosion.
In sum, it seems improbable that the
U.S. government knowingly exploded an
atomic bomb at Port Chicago. But as with
all so-called conspiracy theories, there are
numerous counter-arguments that historians and other interested individuals have
used to undermine the theory of a nuclear
blast at Port Chicago.
For instance, many experts point out
that the greatest amount of evidence for
the Port Chicago nuclear theory is based
upon eyewitness testimony. But eyewitness testimony can be problematic, as peo-
ple are all too open to suggestion, misinterpretation, faulty memory, and hallucination.
Additionally, estimates of the size of the
explosion at Port Chicago range from 1.5
to 2.2 kilotons (compared to 12 kilotons
for the Hiroshima bomb). Many explosive
experts agree that the 5,000 tons of conventional bombs present on the docks and
ships at Port Chicago would be more than
capable of producing the very effects that
were vividly recalled by eyewitnesses that
day. And while rare, there have been instances in history when conventional explosions have occurred that are large
enough to produce effects comparable to
a nuclear blast.
The most damning evidence of all is that
today, there are no traces of radiation or fission-related products detectable at the blast
site at Port Chicago.
The Blasts Legacy
n the aftermath of the explosion, the
largest mutiny in U.S. history took
place. With its facilities out of commission, Port Chicagos naval personnel
were reassigned to Mare Island to continue
their work loading ammunition aboard
transports. Most went about their duty, but
a total of 258 African-American stevedores
refused to perform what they now regarded as lethal work.
While the Navy could not endorse such
a gross lack of discipline, there seems to
have been a tacit acknowledgement that
some of the mutineers concerns were
valid. After all, mutiny in the time of war is
a capital offense. Instead, most were only
quietly court-martialed from service.
The Navy seemed intent to forget about
the incident, and neither the Navy nor the
U.S. government has ever made any investigations into the nature or causes of the
Port Chicago blast.
Perhaps it is this lack of an official inquiry that keeps the mystery of the explosion of Port Chicago grist for the
millstones of conspiracy, some 60-odd
years after the fact. But as World War II recedes into history, and the ranks of those
who would know what truly occurred thins
with age, the likelihood of ever unearthing
the truth becomes remote. z
63
64
ISSUE
#21
DO
U N K N O W N C R E AT U R E S LU R K I N T H E D E P T H S
OF
C A L I F O R N I A S
F R E S H WAT E R L A K E S ?
S U R P R I S I N G LY ,
THE EVIDENCE
FOR THEIR EXISTENCE IS COMPELLING.
Californias
Lake Monsters
BY P R E S T O N D E N N E T T
65
ne California lake in which a mysterious creature lurks is Lake Elsinore. During the summer,
thousands of people flock to the lake to
enjoy its fresh waters and numerous people
have seen the monster, with enough reports
surfacing to give the monster its own name:
Elsie.
The first reports came from the Pai ah
che Native Americans who told visiting
Spaniards in the early 19th century that
their lake was inhabited by a gigantic monster that would surface from time to time,
belching steam and fire.
The best verified sightings occurred during the winter of 1970, when residents and
state recreation officers saw the creature,
whose humps moved up and down like a gigantic snake. Others have seen the monster
following their boats under the water late at
night.
Lake Elsinore has actually dried up twice
in its recorded history, which argues

strongly against the existence of a living lake
monster, as no creature was found when the
lake was dry. However, because nothing is
known about the of creature, it is possible
it simply laid eggs and reproduced or even
hibernated in the mud. However, people
continue to report seeing Elsie from time to
time, suggesting that the creature remains
elusive and at large.
Elsie of Lake Elsinore
66
ISSUE
#21
Tessie of
Lake Tahoe
ndoubtedly the most famous of

Californias lake monsters is
Tessie of Lake Tahoe, an alpine
freshwater lake located along the NevadaCalifornia border. The lake has an estimated depth of 1,645 feet. And with a
length of 22 miles, an unknown creature
has plenty of space to hide.
As with other lake monsters, the first
sightings were by local Washoe and Paiute
tribes. Early settlers heard about their reports but it was not until the 1930s that
people began to take the reports seriously.
Tahoes Tessie has also shown itself many
times in recent years. For instance, in the
summer of 1979, a visiting couple saw it
off of Tahoe Vista. In 1984, there was a se-
ries of highly publicized sightings by various witnesses from different locations on

the lake. And in 1985, a visiting tourist
shot several frames of footage showing a
large creature swimming through the lake.
Embarrassed officials reportedly downplayed the account and even attempted to
suppress the film. The motivation for this is
not clear. Perhaps they were afraid of the
controversy it might generate. Or they
were skeptical and believed they were pro-
tecting the lake from earning a bad reputation. Whatever the case, the Tessie sightings continued.
Another recent sighting occurred to
Gene St. Denis, owner of the local Blue
Ribbon Fishing and Tahoe Trophy Trout,
and a friend while walking along the beach
at Cave Rock, the rumored lair of the
beast. Says St. Denis, We saw a blotchy
gray creature about ten to fifteen feet long.
It turned a corner and produced a Vshaped wake in front of it. The unknown
creature surfaced briefly and then plunged
back into the depths of the lake.
Another time he was swimming along
the shoreline with another friend when the
water seemed to explode underneath them.
As the water calmed, they observed a 16foot snake-like creature slither quickly
away. Looking down, they observed large
fin-prints in the mud.
According to researcher Cherie Louise,
there are about 12 reported Tessie encounters each year. One of the most recent
was on April 26, 2005. Tahoe resident Ron
Talmadge and Beth Douglas were walking
along the west shore of Tahoe Park Beach
when, only a few dozen yards offshore,
they saw an enormous snake-like creature
undulating on the waters surface. Says Talmadge, These were solid black humps
there was no wake as it came towards us.
Skeptics claim that Tessie could be a
giant sturgeon, which can reach a weight
of 1,500 pounds, a length of 20 feet, and
can live for more than 100 years. Another
possible candidate is the muskie, a large,
aggressive fish that can reach a length of
eight feet. However, neither muskie nor
sturgeon have ever been reported seen in
the lake. Rather, most witnesses describe
the creature as being serpent-like and
about 60 feet in length, with dark skin and
reptilian features.
67
hile Tessie is Californias most

famous lake monster, equally
impressive is Hodgee of Lake
Hodges, located about 30 miles north of
San Diego. The thin, winding lake has 27
miles of shoreline and its waters are replenished by the Del Dios river, which has
run through the valley for 40,000 years.
Lake Hodges used to be much smaller,
and was regarded by the local Kumeyaay
Native Americans as sacred. They knew
about the existence of the creature, but
kept it secret until 1916, when Colonel Ed
Fletcher convinced the Santa Fe Railroad
to create a dam at the western end. The
68
Kumeyaay protested, warning of a large,

unknown creature that protected the lake.
The warnings were ignored, and the dam
was built in two years, tripling the size of
the lake.
The first modern reports of Hodgee
began in 1921, when fishermen reported
seeing a large disturbance in the waters
of the lake. In 1925, the city of San Diego
purchased the lake for $490,000, and the
property was converted into a recreational
and fishing area. Around this time, reports

of Hodgee increased dramatically. By
1929, the reports had become so numerous that San Diego mayor Harry Clark
funded an official investigation into the
sightings. Clark eventually turned the project over to the University of California at
San Diego and the Scripps Institute of
Oceanography.
Although in 1930, the officials from the
investigation announced that they were unable to find proof of the creatures existence, one research assistant observed a
lizard-like head protruding from the water.
The Scripps Institute concluded that more
Hodgee of
Lake Hodges
ISSUE
#21
in 1941, Scripps scientists worked with students on a research project using a new approach: A large section of the
lake was placed off-limits to fishermen, and a trip-wire was
held 12" under the water and connected to a bank of cameras. After three months with no results, an incredible photo
was taken. Shortly thereafter, all research was put on hold
as San Diego prepared itself for the war effort.
research was necessary.

Meanwhile, sightings continued. In
1931, a small boat docked on a pier was
mysteriously destroyed. Police could find
no footprints, but found evidence of a
great turmoil under the water along the
base of the pier, from a boat or underwater
vessel or perhaps a large creature. This
prompted the Scripps Institute to construct
an enormous metal cage, in an attempt to
capture the creature. In 1932, the cage was
submerged in the lake and a small sea lion
was secured inside as bait. Several cameras
in glass containers were placed underwater

and tied to buoys around the cage.
When the cage was raised shortly later,
the research team found that the bait had
been taken but the trap remained unsprung. And when they checked their camera, to their amazement, one of the
cameras produced a photograph that
showed a plesiosaurus-type creature with a
long, snake-like head and neck, a large
thick body, and wide, flat fins. The success
of the photo inspired several subsequent attempts to capture the creature. Incredibly,
these attempts resulted only in smashed
cameras and buoys.
The sightings continued and in 1941,
scientists from the Scripps Institute received funding from the United States
Navy Office of Naval Research to conduct
another investigation. This time, researchers first made a large section of the
lake off-limits to people. They then placed
a huge length of trip-wire at a depth of 12
feet, and attached to a large rack of cameras on the surface.
The system was in operation for three
months, with no activity. But on the third
month, the trip-wire was activated and the
most famous of all Hodgee photos was
taken. The photo clearly shows a large
hump protruding from the water, along
with another section of the body.
While this photo provided the proof
needed for further investigation, World
War II took priority, and the project was
ended while attention was diverted towards
the war effort.
Then in 1956 came one of the saddest
chapters in the history of Lake Hodges.
Carp had overrun the lake, and officials decided that the only solution was to kill all
the existing fish in the lake and restock it
with new fish. So thousands of pounds of
the highly toxic chemical Rotenon were
poured into the lake, causing the vast majority of the fish to asphyxiate. The lake was
then restocked. However, there was reportedly some controversy about whether
the real reason was to kill and capture the
lake monster, as the lake was closed to the
public for more than two years.
But apparently Hodgee was able to survive the Rotenon as it was not long after the
lake was re-opened that sightings continued. For instance, in 1966, two families picnicking along the shoreline observed a large
creature surface about 50 yards offshore.
Seven people witnessed the creature, one of
whom snapped several photos, of a dark
hump protruding from the water.
Today, sightings continue and are currently being studied by the Lake Hodges
Scientific Research Center (LHSRC). In
1999, the center set up cameras along the
shoreline of the lake, hoping to obtain another photograph. They also plan to study
a deep earthquake fault which runs
through the lake, analyze fish counts, collect local testimonies, and eventually build
a museum.
While it may seem incredible that such
large creatures could remain unidentified
in this day and age, the truth is that much
of the underwater world remains unexplored. New species are discovered each
year and a small percentage of these involve
large animals. Until our waters have been
fully explored, mysterious and unknown
creatures will continue to lurk in the hidden depths of our lakes and oceans. z
This article is adapted from Supernatural
California, published by Schiffer Publishing,
2006.
69
Psi
Spies
The History of
Remote Viewing
70
ISSUE
#21
document obtained in early

2007 under the Freedom of
Information Act by author
and investigator Timothy Good, describes how the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) undertook a 18,000
study between 2001 and 2002 to investigate the efficiency of remote viewing, perhaps in an effort to determine
the exact nature of the military operations of Al-Queda in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
According to the report, the MoD
initially attempted to recruit 12 psychics to participate in the study. But
when they each refused to participate,
novice volunteers were drafted instead.
One of the tests supposedly involved
asking blindfolded participants to psychically determine the contents of
sealed brown envelopes. But most of
them, the report states, were unable to

successfully describe the contents and
the study was deemed a failure.
In light of the fact that parapsychology is now a sophisticated and legitimate branch of science, one cannot
help but wonder why the MoDs
rather expensive remote-viewing study
was of such poor standard. Why, in
other words, did not their study draw
more heavily from the impressive body
of knowledge accumulated by years of
remote viewing research in the U.S.
during the 1970s and 80s? Why did
they not follow the well-known and
successful controlled remote viewing
(CRV) protocols? And how come they
settled for novice volunteers?
By tracing the history of remote
viewing, we may begin to answer these
questions.
By Louis Proud
71
One of the most important figures in remote viewing is Ingo Swann. Swanns interest in psychic phenomena dates back to
the spring of 1970, when he acquired a pet
chinchilla that, he discovered, could perceive and apprehend his thoughts.
He soon became acquainted with Cleve
Backster, a New York polygraph operator,
famous for his experiments in primary
perception, in which he demonstrated,
with the use of polygraph equipment, that
all living tissue, even the bacilli in yogurt,
possesses some degree of sentience. In one
of his most famous experiments, Backster
would hook up his polygraph equipment
to the leaf of a plant, then threaten the
plant in various ways, such as by hitting it,
or thinking cruel thoughts about it. The
plant was found to respond with an increase or decrease in electrical resistance
(electrodermal response).
Swann worked in Backsters laboratory
for a year before participating in a series of
psychic experiments for the American Society for Psychical
R e s e a r c h
(ASPR).
According
to
Time-Life,
in a typical
experim e n t :
Swann
would sit in
an easy chair
illuminated
by a soft
overhead
light,
Stanford Research Institute physicist Harold Puthoff (left) and physicist Russell Targ (right)
conducted the first CIA-funded remote viewing project, codenamed SCANGATE.
virtually immobilized by wires that

hooked him up to a polygraph machine,
which monitored his brain waves, respiration, and blood pressure. Once he had
managed to liberate his mind, as he put
it, Swann was asked to describe or draw
his impressions of the target. The targets
consisted of various objects placed in a
box, that was suspended from the air and
located out of sight.
The term remote viewing, coined by
Swann and Janet Mitchell of the ASPR, was
used to describe how, during an out-ofbody state, Swann would attempt to see,
then report on, the weather conditions in
distant cities. Because they were selected by
third parties, Swann had no idea which
city he had been assigned until after
the experiment was over. On one
occasion, Swann sensed heavy rain
in a particular city, which turned
out to be Phoenix. The testers
thought the results were impossible, as everyone knows the
weather in Phoenix is almost always hot and dry. However, a
One of the most important figures in

remote viewing is Ingo Swann.
72
brief check with the Phoenix weather bureau confirmed that Swann was correct; on
that particular day, there were indeed heavy
thunderstorms in the city.
Swann became more heavily involved in
parapsychological research when, in 1972,
he agreed to work at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) for physicist Harold Puthoff.
A Stanford University graduate with a
Ph.D. in electrical engineering and physics,
Puthoff has a background in lasers and
quantum electronics and also once worked
in a research laboratory for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
In one early experiment, Swann was able
to describeand sketch in great detail
the features of a magnetometer buried six
feet in concrete beneath the floor. Not only
that, he managed to change the equipments output signal by affecting the decaying magnetic field inside, which was
being used to provide a steady background
calibration. Another subject, a photographer by the name of Hella Hammid, was
able to accurately describe five out of nine
target sites, resulting in odds against chance
of more than 500,000 to 1.
Puthoffs research project, later conducted by him and physicist Russell Targ,
was initially funded by the Sciences ReM YSTERIES M AGAZINE ,
ISSUE
#21
search Foundation of San Antonio, TX.

Later on, when their successful remote
viewing work at SRI began to gain wider
attention, they started to receive funding
from various government agencies, including the CIA.
SCANGATE and GRILL FLAME
he first remote viewing research
program conducted by Puthoff and
Targ with CIA funding was named
project SCANGATE. Held at SRI, the
two-year program yielded some remarkable
results, such as descriptions of a missile and
a guerrilla training site in Libya that were
confirmed by the CIAs Libyan Desk officer. From their successes, Swann helped
THE ADVENT OF
Controlled
Remote
Viewing
ensure that government funding would

continue. Also of help to this process was
the publication of SRIs remote viewing research in the prestigious technical periodical Proceedings of the IEEE, the editor of
which was almost fired for choosing to
publish such controversial material.
Around the late-1970s, when SRI began
receiving sponsorship from the U.S. Army,
an operational unit of soldiers trained in remote viewingknown in intelligence circles as psi spieswas created to help
gather intelligence during the Cold War.
One of the first units of viewers created was
codenamed GRILL FLAME. According to
Joseph McMoneagle, one of the original
psi spies, the Army interviewed around
oordinate remote viewing

now called controlled remote
viewing (CRV)is a method
by which coordinates are employed
to identify the target to be viewed.
The coordinates used, however,
need not be geographical in nature
but rather are usually random
numbers. Once a particular target
3,000 people for GRILL FLAME, selecting a total of six men.

Early on, the members practiced remote
viewing using a variety of different experimental methods, including transcendental
meditation and biorhythms. Some of these
methods, it was believed, would help place
the viewer in an altered state of consciousness that was conducive to remote viewing,
though many of them proved to be of little value.
Remote viewing in an out-of-body state
was found to be largely unsuccessful, in
that the viewer would often lose interest in
the mission at hand, focusing instead on
the awe-inspiring nature of the experience.
The team decided, in the end, to adhere to
has been visited by a remote

viewer, this target is assigned a set
of random coordinates, so that another remote viewer can visit the
same location, simply by focusing
on the same set of coordinates.
The theory behind how this
works is based on Jungs notion of
the collective unconscious. Once
these numbers have been assigned, wrote British author and

paranormal expert Colin Wilson,
they become part of the psychic
ether, much as the letters assigned
to a web site on the Internet will enable anybody to access the site.
LOUIS PROUD
73
Swanns structured CRV methodology, as

this produced the most consistently accurate results.
One of the most talked about missions
was conducted by McMoneagle, who
managed to correctly describe, in detail, a
new type of Soviet submarine, which was
then being constructed in a secret facility
in Severodvinsk. Another mission noted
for its stunning success was undertaken in
1978, in response to a plane crash in Zaire
(now the Democratic Republic of
Congo). The Americans wanted to recover the wreckage of the Soviet Tupolev22 bomber, in order to examine its
communication equipment. Two remote
viewers working independently of one another, Frances Bryan and Gary Langford,
each managed to draw detailed sketches
of the area where the plane crashed. The
plane was eventually located within five
kilometers of the spot they had both described.
However, no one could predict that
Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe
Institute for Applied Sciences (which,
among other things, was an organization
that screened applicants for GRILL
FLAME)
would
discover he was
being
observed by a
group
of
powerful female psychics. The
experience
o c -
curred while Monroe was in an out-ofbody stateor so the story goes. Shaken
by what had happened, he asked the
GRILL FLAME team to investigate the
matter. They soon discovered, using psychic means, that the Soviet Union had a
psi-spy team of their own, who were sometimes assigned to seek out their western
counterparts.
For many years, the two teams indulged
in a game of harmless psychic cat and
mouse with each other, but that is as far as
the matter went. According to former military remote viewer Mel Riley, the two
teams had a kind of gentlemans agreement which involved keeping the existence of the opposing team a secret from
their respective bosses, so as not to cause
trouble for each other.
In 1985, GRILL FLAME came under
control of the Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA). From that point on, the unit codename changed from GRILL FLAME to
CENTER LANE, then SUN STREAK,
and finally STAR GATE.
According to many of the original psi
spies, the unit went downhill during the
late-1980s, once it was placed under civilian control. At around this time, two female trainees named Angela and Robin
were recruited. Called the witches by
the others, they experimented with channeling, Tarot card reading, and automatic writing (see Mysteries issue #11) in
place of CRV, consequently obtaining
poor results in their work. The entire unit
soon became something of a joke, especially when congressmen began to visit for
psychic readings. By 1990, all of the military-trained psi spies had left the unit, leaving the witches in charge.
The AIR Report
he story of military remote viewing hit the
mainstream press in
Robert Monroe, founder

of the Monroe Institute,
an organization that
screened applicants
for the remote
viewing project
GRILL FLAME.
74
Joe McMoneagle, one of the original psi spies.
late 1995, but not before the CIA had

arranged for the American Institute of Research (AIR) to conduct a biased review
concerning the value and success of STAR
GATE. Their aim was to discredit remoteviewing and other psi abilities, in order to
thwart public interest in the subject. Jessica
Utts, a professor of statistics and Dr. Raymond Hyman, a professor of psychology
and member of the committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, were chosen to lead the review.
The report evaluated only three remote
viewing projects, which were carried out
within one year towards the end of STAR
GATE, a period of decline for the program.
The other 16 or so years that the program
ran (though under numerous different codenames) were totally disregarded.
Moreover, the AIR panel was denied
access to an estimated 80,000 pages of
classified program documents. To make
matters worse, the panel interviewed only
three remote viewers involved in the program, all of whom commonly relied upon
Tarot card reading, automatic writing,
and other unconventional methods to obtain their information. In other words,
only the very weakest data was used in the
AIR evaluation.
Not surprisingly, the AIR report conM YSTERIES M AGAZINE ,
ISSUE
#21
Individuals such as former military

remote viewer Lyn Buchanan, are
showing the world just how useful
a tool remote viewing is. After
leaving the forces, Buchanan
founded Problems Solutions
Innovations (PSI), which specializes in providing corporations,
law enforcement agencies and
archaeological researchers with
otherwise unobtainable or
corroborative information via
remote viewing.
cluded that although a statistically significant effect had been observed in laboratory remote-viewing experiments, the
remote viewing had no real value for intelligence operations at present.
Although the U.S. government would
have us believe that their interest in remote
viewing ceased with the termination of
STAR GATE, many say that the program
never actually ended but simply moved to
even more secret government agencies,
where its use continues today.
Former military remote viewer David
Morehouse says that the government,
will never abandon remote viewingit
proved far too valuable for the money it
cost. What [the government] will do, is
make sure that it never makes the mistake
again of letting such a controversial and
potentially far-reaching technology [be
brought to the publics attention]
Britains Interest in Remote Viewing
ne cannot help but wonder if the
real purpose of Britains remoteviewing study in 2001 and 2002
was to further discredit the phenomenon.
Their program was, after all, something of
a joke, especially in comparison to the remote viewing program undertaken by the
U.S. government. Or perhaps its real purpose has not yet been disclosed to the
public.
According to documents accessed via
the Freedom of Information Act, the MoD
study was more successful than the public
has been led to believe. Moreover, there
appears to be a connection between the

STAR GATE program and the MoD study.
The document, a report of the monthly
activities of the STAR GATE project manager in 1994, detailed a meeting with DI55, a secret arm of Britains MoD that
deals with UFO sightings. The document
suggested that the MoD had an interest in
remote viewing well before they commenced their study in 2001.
Even while governments continue to
issue reports that appear to disprove the ef-
ficacy of remote viewing, this art is currently being taught to large numbers of
people all over the world, and is proving to
be of great benefit, from helping solve
missing persons cases to assisting scientific
research. Perhaps this official denial of the
positive uses of remote viewing is a viable
strategy for keeping the public from recognizing its continued use in modern-day
esponiage. But that does not diminish the
fact that remote viewing is a growing field,
full of non-military uses. z
Remote Viewing Resources

Western Institute of Remote Viewing
218 Main Street #634
Kirkland, WA 98033
(866) 759-9010 or (425) 488-5496
www.remoteviewers.com
Problems Solutions Innovations (PSI)
(575) 437-8285
www.crviewer.com
David Morehouse Productions
310 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd., Suite 107-380
San Marcos, CA 92078
(800) 234-2199 or (760) 729-3837
www.davidmorehouse.com
Intuitive Intelligence Applications
P.O. Box 100
Nellysford VA 22958
www.mceagle.com
Monroe Institute
365 Robert Mtn Rd.
Faber, VA 22938
(434) 361-1252
www.monroeinstitute.com
Farsight Remote Viewers Association
2848 Brookwood Ln
South Lake, TX 76092
(817) 707-4019
www.secretsofredgate.com
Psi Tech/CRV University
13240 NE 20th - Suite 18
Bellevue, WA 98005
(888) 242-4245
www.remoteviewing.com
Academy of Remote Viewing (ARVARI)
www.probablefuture.com
Intl. Remote Viewing Association (IRVA)
P.O. Box 381
East Windsor Hill, CT 06028
(866) 374-IRVA (4782)
irva.org
75
Book Reviews
the attic.
Readers seeking a ghostly good
time in the Keystone State will get
their moneys worth and more
from this intriguing volume.
Suicide: What Really Happens in the Afterlife?

BY PAMELA RAE HEATH AND JON KLIMO
ISBN: 1556-43621-1
$21.95, NORTH ATLANTIC BOOKS, 2006
MICHAEL NEWTON
ccording to Albert Camus in his seminal The Myth of Sisyphus, the question of whether or not to
commit suicide was the only true philosophical question. But what if he had actually contacted those
on the other side who had taken their own lives? Would he have continued to posit the dilemma of
suicide in such starkly either/or terms? In Suicide: What Really Happens in the
Afterlife?, authors Pamela Rae Heath and Jon Klimo have meticulously compiled
information from various channelers to offer us an intriguing view that is free of
morbidity, dread, or even unhealthy fascination.
In part I, the authors chart out the various traditional approaches to suicide as
found in Freudian psychology and his theory of thanatos (the death instinct).
What is most interesting is how channeled messages about suicide have
changed from the 19th to the 20th century. Messages received from the departed in the 1800s tended to be more stern and judgmental while those transmitted in contemporary times are of a more compassionate and understanding
nature, indicating that the bias and societal conditioning of ones time are virtually inescapable, even when one connects with realms that should not be influenced by these elements.
Another topic of interest is how different methods of suicide directly relate to the chakra system. For example, if one shot oneself in the head, one is expressing a sixth and seventh chakra issue (insight and wisdom) in regards to the reason they took their own life. If one engaged in Hari-Kiri (the unsavory
disembowlment method favored by the Japanese), a third chakra issue of power and will was at hand.
Even more intriguing is the notion that committing suicide is a seeming negation of ones connection
with the spiritual world and that those who commit suicide will be faced with little to no help during their
transition into the afterlife.
Suicide: What Really Happens in the Afterlife? is sure to emerge as one of the most essential books written on this troubling topic because it provides rare insights into how we can learn from such a horrifyng
experience.
Secret Societies
Gardiners Forbidden Knowledge, Revelations about
Freemasons, Templars, Illuminati, Nazis & the Serpent Cults
BY PHILIP GARDINER
ISBN: 1-56414-923-4
$14.99, NEW PAGE BOOKS, 2007
JAYE BELDO
Ghosts of Valley Forge

and Phoenixville
BY D.P. ROSEBERRY
ISBN: 978-0-7643-2633-2
$14.95, SCHIFFER PUBLISHING, 2007
alley Forge is the Pennsylvania village where George

Washingtons Continental
Army passed the cruel winter of
1777-78, with little food and even
worse prospects for victory.
Nearby Phoenixville was settled in
1732 and was incorporated as a
borough in 1849. In 1958, The
Blob was filmed in Phoenixville,
with its most frightening scene
shot in the towns Colonial Theatre. But as author DP Roseberry
reveals, there is a great deal going
on behind the scenes in
76
Phoenixville and Valley Forgeor,

should we say, some strange
things stirring on the other side,
as an astounding 45
haunted sites are described. The book also
includes a personal
introduction, a glossary, and descriptions
of
ghost-hunting equipment.
Chester Countys
ghosts are as diverse as they are
numerous. From
Americas first military hospital to
George Washingtons personal
headquarters, tour guides and visitors alike report having frighten-
ing spectral encounters. But fallen

heroes are not the regions sole
ghostly inhabitants. Within these
pages, readers meet a bandit
shot during a
holdup, whose
angry ghost persecutes tenants in
his former home;
a hairy cat man
that prowls through
Mill Creek Park;
and the spirits of
Irish miners, killed
while digging Black
Rock Tunnel. Books
fly off their shelves at
the Phoenixville Public Library while silent
specters roam through the stacks
and play tricks on employees in
hilip Gardiner has written

hundreds of articles and
m a n y
books on hidden knowledge. In his
latest book,
Gardiner explores what lies
behind the beliefs and rituals
of many of the
worlds cults and
religions, as well
as probes the origins of Freemasonry and its relationship to
ancient serpent cults. (In analyzing the links between the Vatican
and the Nazi party, for instance,
Gardiner demonstrates the line
between the swastika and the serpent.)
Gardiner also explores the origins of the Illuminati, a secret society founded in the late 18th
century which, in modern times, is
thought to control world affairs
through governments and corporations in an effort to establish a
New World Order. He also goes
into the history of the Templars,
whose symbols and traditions the
Freemasons would later incorporated in their own.
Gardiner has a background in
the history of propaganda to manipulate the masses, and in Secret Societies he uses history,
etymology, archaeology, mythology, and symbolism to make his
ISSUE
#21
Book Reviews
points. Sometimes the connections seem farfetched, as when
he identifies Abraham from the
Jewish Bible with the Hindu god A
Brahma. In English these words
may look similar but does this
spurious linguistic connection
work in ancient Semitic languages
and Hindi? Probably not.
A provocative read, Secret Societies will appeal to fans of Dan
Browns The Da Vinci Code or
even Mel Gibsons film The Passion of the Christ, as it seeks to
explain the world we live in today
through an examination of civilizations foundational myths and
histories. But read this book with
a huge grain of salt.
CHARLES RAMMELKAMP
The Freak
Book One of The Freak Series
BY CAROL MATAS
ISBN: 9781552639306 I
Visions
Book Two of The Freak Series
ISBN: 13: 9781552639320
$9.95CAN, KEY PORTER BOOKS, 2007
ifteen-year-old Jade is not

sure whether she has got a
gift or a curse. But whatever
her psychic power is, the Jewish
teenager is learning to live with it
while her high school enemies call
her a freak. Her best friend
Susie analyzes her every move,
and she herself records every
step of her clairvoyant adventures
in the first two volumes of The
Freak trilogy, The Freak

and Visions, by awardwinning author Carol
Matas. Based, in part, on
Matas imagination and,
in part, on her own psychic
experiences, both books
are recommended for readers aged 12 and up,
and indeed, for anyone
looking for fast-paced,
action-oriented stories of
a gifted but conflicted
teenager coming of age in
a world where she must
help family and friends as
they are threatened with
ridicule, anti-Semitism, public
bombings, and a serial killer.
In The
Rosslyn Revealed: A Library in Stone

BY ALAN BUTLER AND JOHN RITCHIE
ISBN: 1-905047092-4
$29.95, O BOOKS, 2006
ne of the more enigmatic of structures in the world is Rosslyn Chapel, built

in 14th-century Scotland and brought into the limelight via its inclusion in
the bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code (See Myteries issue #1). Rife with
a dizzying cornucopia of masonically inscribed clues, architectural cozenage, and
labyrinthine ciphers, the structure serves as an arcane repository of spiritual lore,
as well as an expression of a profound respect for everything from astronomy, Jewish
mysticism, and Templarism. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Alan Butler and John Ritchie, the elusive mysteries which abound in this remarkable building are brought to life.
With a scholarly perspective and intimate familiarity with the chapel (they live nearby), the authors share
intriguing observations and insights as to how and why Rosslyn was constructed.
One gets the impression that the builders of Rosslynthe Sinclairsactually foresaw the menace of the
age of reason so set forth to preserve esoteric lore in the stone carvings, masonry, and statuary of the
chapel. It was as if the chapel was originally created to reconcile such disparate elements as pagan/earth
worship (with the inclusion of the green man and the inexplicable depictions of maize in some stonework,
a plant that was unknown in Scotland at the time), Jewish kabbalah, Freemasonry, and Ebionite Christianity. Most intriguing is the inclusion of a light box which allows the rays of the rising sun on September
21 (St. Matthews day) into the chapel.
In addition to the myriad wonders described in Rosslyn Revealed, the authors also include the possibility
of musics role in the esoteric worldview of William Sinclair, sharing their own hypotheses that some of the
images depicted in the chapel originated from the Chladni patterns (created by drawing a bow over a sheet
of metal with sand on it). Hopefully in a future book, the authors will further substantiate their claims, as
their observations could truly revolutionize the way in which Rosslyn and other structures are studied and
appreciated.
Many historians regard the time in which Rosslyn was constructed to be the last in which art in its esoteric and spiritual sense flourished. Fortunately, we can re-evoke the spirit of Rosslyn Chapel by reading
this timely and resonant book, perhaps regaining a sense of trust that such an era will, like the autumn
equinox so favored by the Sinclairs, return once again.
JAYE BELDO
Freak, Jades paranormal

powers emerge when she
suffers a severe attack of
meningitis. During a neardeath experience, her deceased grandfather and
an angel tells her to return to her family because
Its not your time yet. But
Jade soon learns she is in
for some challenging
times when she starts
seeing events before
they occur, listens in on
her teachers thoughts,
and sees colored
auras around people. While
she tries to understand what is
happening to her and why, she
discovers a vipers nest of thugs
who are involved with a murderous plot on the daycare at the
local synagogue that, despite her
prescience, almost gets her killed.
In Visions, Jade continues to
wonder why she was given psychic
powers, and by whom. But this
time she has to grapple with visions of a serial killer on the loose
as he strangles his female victims
with their own scarves. Its a
frightening circumstance for the
15-year-old, even more so when
she sees a black aura around her
best friends mother as a signal
that shes a potential victim.
As the plot proceeds, so do
Jades psychic activities with her
peers at Kelvin High, and her introspection about her new-found
paranormalities. She even learns
about Tarot cards from a professional psychic who also channels
clues to her from her dead grandfather about the strangler she is
trying to find.
Both The Freak and Visions are
an entertaining mix of amateur
sleuthing and psychic activities.
Given Matas track record of producing acclaimed bestsellers, it is
easy to forecast that her next
book in the series will be just as
compelling.
M. WAYNE CUNNINGHAM
77
Book Reviews
Solomons Power
Brokers
Houdini Speaks Out
BY CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT
ISBN: 978-1-4257-6740-2
AND ALAN BUTLER
$45.99, XLIBRIS, 2007
ISBN: 13-978-1-84293-4
$24.95, WATKINS PUBL., 2007
night and Butler argue that

the historical Grail is actually a set of mathematical
and geometrical relationships
based on ancient astronomy that
was incorporated into Solomons
temple in Jerusalem, to honor the
Hebrew God. This information, the
authors assert, has been passed
down via star families, descendents of the Temple priesthood
who founded the Catholic
Church and
eventually
Scottish
Freemasonry.
This is not a
particularly original entrant into
the
secret
knowledge/Holy
Grail genre. And
the star families idea carries
the risk of being
associated with anti-Semitism.
Though Knight does not make explicit claims to this effect, the idea
of such a conspiracy (be it Jewish,
Catholic, or whatever) is an old
trope and one that overlaps with
the belief that secret societies, be
they Freemasons, the Gnomes of
Zurich, or the Elders of Zion, want
to secretly control the world.
An academic study of the similarities between the
two sorts of beliefs
would be a valuable
contribution to the literature. Solomons Power
Brokers is, however, not
a valuable contribution.
Rather, it is a derivative,
superstitious, and possibly dangerous flight of
fancy.
KEN MONDSCHEIN
78
BY ARTHUR MOSES
mateur historian Arthur

Moses, who writes about
magicians for the Magic
Collectors Association and the Society of American Magicians, has
an extensive collection of Houdiniana, from which he has reconstructed Houdini's efforts to
expose Spiritualist frauds.
Born in Budapest, Hungary, in
1874 as Eric Weisz, the son of an
Orthodox rabbi, Houdini emigrated to the United States in
1878, where the family name was
changed to Weiss. Moses provides a sketch of Houdini's life
with his family, how they moved
from Wisconsin to New York City,
where the young Houdini lived
until he met and married Bess
Rahner in 1894 and the two became a Coney Island act, called
the Houdinis.
Moses details the evolution of
Houdinis stage career from magician to escape artist to debunker
of Spiritualist frauds. The consummate entertainer, Houdini did
not pretend that his magic resulted from anything but his own
dexterity, nimbleness, and sleight
of hand. Although he believed
passionately in an afterlife, he became fiercely antagonistic to the
mediums in the early part of the
20th century who masqueraded
their trickery as
truth to dupe
the
unsuspecting public.
Towa rd
the end of
his career,
Houdini
devoted
himself to
unmasking fake
medi-
Math for Mystics

From the Fibonacci Sequence to the Golden Section and
Other Secrets of Sacred Geometry
BY RENNA SHESSO
ISBN: 1-57863-383-4
$16.95, WEISER BOOKS, 2007
nce emanating from a core mystical

dimension, numbers in recent
epochs have fallen into the hands of
accountants and statisticians who are bent
on cooking their data for maximum profit.
However in Math for Mystics, Renna Shesso
frees numbers from spreadsheets, digital calculators, and annual reports, and puts them
back into their rightful place.
Citing examples from Egyptian, Celtic,
Sumerian, and Babylonian mythology, the author demonstrates how mathematics was
once considered an essentially spiritual activity which originated from
the human body, such as counting the phases of the moon on ones
fingers.
Shesso suggests that one method to check the illusion that numbers are absolute is to take measurements using ones own body.
As an example, a fathom has been defined as being six feet in
length. However, a Greek source from 450 BC cites the fingertip-tofingertip fathom as being seven feet. Most intriguing is her mention of
how the Babylonian King Sargo II (r. 722-705 BC) had a wall constructed to the length of 16,283 cubits based on the numerical value
of his name.
The author also explores the realm of Magic Squares and the correspondences between planets, numbers, and letters. She mentions
scrying with a crystal ball placed in the center of a lo shu (a diagram
which is used for Feng Shui geomancy), where the number five should
be, a topic she should have elaborated on more fully, as it could trigger powerful insights into numerical mysticism.
Whether describing Templar codes hidden in moves of the knight
chess piece on a chess board or how numbers figure into the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, Shesso successfully evokes the long-lost humane
dimension of numbers. The value of Math for Mystics should not be
underestimated, especially for those who struggle with math.
JAYE BELDO
ums, such as the Fox sisters, who

were credited with the birth of
modern Spiritualism in 1848, as
well as representations of several
of the Spiritualists tricks, including the switching of writing slates
with sliding panels and trap doors,
and a trick to produce mysterious
rapping noises said to come from
the other side.
Moses includes many photo-
graphs, images of handbills,

posters, advertisements, and
news clippings from his collection,
all fascinating artifacts illuminating the character of Houdini.
Anybody with even a passing interest in Harry Houdini will find
this a fascinating book that sheds
light on Houdini's crusading efforts to expose frauds.
CHARLES RAMMELKAMP
ISSUE
#21
Book Reviews
Opening the Ark
of the Covenant
Dinosaurs
Dead or Alive?
BY FRANK JOSEPH AND
BY PHILLIP ODONNELL
LAURA BEAUDOIN
ISBN: 1-60034-262-0
ISBN: 156414903X
$10.95, XULON PRESS, 2007
$17.99, CAREER PRESS, 2007
he venerable Holy Grail

conspiracy
theory
genre is at once
meaningless
and significant.
Certain
elements, such as
hidden ancient
knowledge,
Freemasonry,
R o s s l y n
Chapel, and
the search for
the
Holy
Grail/Ark of the Covenant/hidden
bloodline, endlessly repeat from
book to book. It is how the individual author rearranges these
tropes that makes any given work
original.
Opening The Ark of the
Covenant is thus at once derivative and wildly creative. Joseph
and Beaudoin manage to incorporate just about everything in occult
studies in their narrative of the
Holy Grail/Ark of the Covenant,
which they hold to be from
Lemuria/Mu/Atlantis! Here readers will find pyramids, Mayans,
Templars, and Cathars, theories
which are based on suppositions,
undocumented facts, and free-association. But as the authors combine everything under the sun,
from all the various subgenres of
occult literature, one keeps reading simply to find out what they
will throw in next.
What would be even more entertaining would be some sort of
academic examination of this
modern mythology. Until such a
study comes along, we wIll have to
make do with works such as this
amusingly scatterbrained book.
KEN MONDSCHEIN
ew people ever write an article, much less a book. Consider, then, a book written
and published by a 14year-old and illustrated by
the writers younger
brother! We dare not expect said work to be too
polished or professional,
although an editor has
aided in completion of the
final product. But basic talent counts for much, as
does sincerity.
To young Phillip ODonnells credit, he includes a
wealth of alleged cryptid sightings
in this very short book (only 82 of
its 113 pages discuss hypothetical dinosaurs living

today), and the sampling
includes several cases
from 1995 through 2006
which have not been collected elsewhere. His
brothers illustrations, if
we treat this chiefly as a
childrens book, are not
half bad.
Throughout his text, ODonnell
cites only six books, four web
sites, and one magazine (the latter quoted solely to prove how evolutionists are wrong). The many
cryptid sightings mentioned cry
out for sources, but in most cases
we simply have to take the young
authors word that this or that occurred at a particular place or
time. Broad statements, such as
the claim of over 20,000 live dino
sightings in this century alone
(p. 25), or that over

13,800 people have
seen aquatic dinosaurs (p. 98),
clearly demand support.
And
some
of
ODonnells claims
are simply false. Karl
Marx did not dedicate
(p. 94) Das Kapital to
Charles Darwin. (This misconception arose from correspondence
between Darwin and Edward Aveling, lover of Marxs daughter
Eleanor, who planned dedication
of a forthcoming book to Darwin.
Darwin declined the honor.)
ODonnells work also suffers in
places from its brevity. On page
26, for instance, he offers a list of
18 witnesses who have seen dinosaurs in the flesh. Sadly, only
seven appear in the text, leaving
The Psychic Life of Abraham Lincoln

BY SUSAN B. MARTINEZ, PH.D.
ISBN: 9781564149664
$24.99, NEW PAGE BOOKS, 2007
f Abraham Lincolns son Robert had not incinerated so many of his fathers original papers, nor suppressed the publication of a book by his mothers black
maidor so heavily edited the 4,709-page biography by the presidents secretaries John Hay and John G. Nicolayauthor Susan Martinez would have had even
more documentation to draw upon for her revealing study. Even so, she has done a
stellar job both in researching and in presenting her case for a credible portrait of
Americas 16th president as a Spiritualist chosen by a higher power to lead the nation through its darkest hour
In rending the veil of imposed secrecy that has, for so long, shrouded Lincolns life-long interest in Spiritualism, Martinez also touches upon the events of the Civil War, references icons of the time, relays numerous anecdotes about the Lincoln family sances, and quotes voluminously from documents and records
attesting to the psychic events surrounding both Abe and his wife Mary.
Martinez refers to Lincolns beliefs in his mothers ability to predict her death and notes the affidavits that
substantiated Lincolns attendance at sances. She provides examples of statements by Lincoln forecasting his rise to become president as well as his own death, his prophetic dreams, his superstitions, and about
the advice from a spirit at a sance that helped turn the Civil War in favor of the North. She describes how
Lincoln sat on a piano with several others as it levitated off the floor, gives examples of his humor and wit,
and recounts the devastating effects upon both the Lincolns with the untimely death of their young son.
Besides the light Martinez sheds on Lincolns mostly hidden life as a Spiritualist, she provides interesting
accounts of the history and politics of the time, especially as related to the Civil War. Her detailed comparison of the similarities between the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy are also chilling.
In all, Martinez has produced a memorable account of the life and times of one of Americas most beloved
presidents.
M. WAYNE CUNNINGHAM
79
Book Reviews
readers to search in vain for the
testimony of Alexander the Great,
Percy Fawcett, and Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle. And what is a Loch
Ness chapter without the case of
venerable Saint Columba, promised in the same roster but never
delivered?
That said, ODonnell deserves
credit for the sheer volume of
crypto material he does include,
with sightings from every inhabited continent, from 3300 BC to
the present. Older researchers
may quarrel with ODonnells assignment of particular dinosaur
species to individual sightings,
but what of it? The old-timers
quarrel incessantly among themselves already.
In terms of sources listed for his
bibliography, ODonnell includes
both secular and religious texts,
although his highly recommended tag is reserved for the

work of fellow creationists. (That
select list includes Kent Dr. Dino
Hovind, recently sentenced to ten
years in prison for tax fraud.) One
curiosity is the inclusion of John
Keels Mothman Prophecies with
a not recommended tagline, a
peculiar circumstance, since neither Keel nor the Mothman rates
a mention in ODonnells text.
It is entirely possible for creationists to shine in both archival
and field research. Phillip ODonnell has a headstart on his peers,
with his first work published at
such a tender age. Sadly, until he
masters the technique of documentation and learns to weed out
shady sources, his work remains
fatally flawed.
Our Gods Wear Spandex

The Secret History of
Comic Book Heroes
BY CHRISTOPHER KNOWLES
ISBN: 978-1578634064
$19.95, WEISER BOOKS, 2007
xploring the connection between ancient occult mysteries and modern-day

comic book superheroes (along
with pulp fiction, Spiritualist cults,
and secret societies), Christopher
Knowles comes to some interesting conclusions about our own
contemporary godsthe superhuman beings whose mission is to
save us, in this intriguing and
thought-provoking study.
Knowles explores Hollywoods
exploitation of the hero as a messiah figure, playing upon our need
for a savior and pointing
ould-be ghost hunters and readers with a taste for the macabre will enjoy
this survey of haunted sites in Massachusetts. Thomas DAgostino covers the Bay State from border to border, including 66 specific haunted
sites from 40 towns and cities. The engaging text is illustrated with 53 black-andwhite photos of various houses, inns, graveyards, and lighthouses said to harbor
restless spirits.
DAgostinos roster of haunted locales ranges from the internationally famous
to sites which would provoke a puzzled frown from most lifelong residents of Massachusetts. Fall
Rivers Borden House is easily the most notoriousthe very place where Lizzie Borden took an axe and
well, you know the rest. Today, the home where her parents were slaughtered is a thriving bed and breakfast and its guest rooms include the bedroom where Abigail Borden was nearly beheaded by the furious
blows of a hatchet in 1892.
Or consider Salem, site of Americas most infamous witch trials and hangings. Aside from a bona fide
Witch Dungeon (reportedly haunted by a spectral monk), Salem also boasts the House of Seven Gables
where author Nathaniel Hawthorne spent most of his life and where earlier inhabitants may linger still. Toss
in the haunted Hawthorne Hotel, Howard Street Cemetery, and the Old Burial Ground, and paranormalists
will find no shortage of dark corners to explore.
But do not let famous sites distract you. Check out the glowing headstones in Attleboros old St. Stephens
Cemetery, or prime a haunted water pump on Bakers Island, one in a group of 15 islands aptly called The
Miseries. Tour spirit-infested lighthouses in Boston, Cohasset, Plymouth, and Truro. Explore the Bridgewater Triangle, so named by Fortean author Loren Coleman for its long history of phantoms, ghost lights, and
UFO sightings. Even stroll through the haunted Hoosac Tunnel, set beneath the Mohawk Trail.
Whatever your preference in specters, the Bay State has something to offer, and Tom DAgostino does an
admirable job of rounding up the spook sites in a single volume.
t o
pre-Christian religions for the origins of superpowers, and even the
names and costumes of many a
comic book hero. Knowles considers the ancient gods of Sumer,
Egypt, Greece, Rome, Norway, and
figures from the Hebrew bible, for
sources and precedents. Isis,
Horas, Thor, Mercury, Apollo, Samson all morph one way or the
other into the heroes of comics.
The rest of the book turns to the
literary manifestations of the phenomenon, from such pulp writers
as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sax
Rohmer, and H.P. Lovecraft, to literary stars such as Edgar Allan
Poe, Bram Stoker, and Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle. This leads to the
lengthy core of the book, an analysis and overview of the plethora of
comic book superheroes, from Superman, Captain Marvel, and Captain America to the amazing
Amazons (of whom Wonder
Woman is the most famous) the
brotherhoods (X-Men, Fantastic
Four) and the golems (Batman,
the Hulk, the Thing), mad scientists, and techno-scientific superheroes such as Spider-Man.
Our Gods Wear Spandex is a
thoroughly engaging examination
of our modern fixation on comic
book heroes and the needs this
satisfies. It will appeal not just to
that part of us that wants to be entertained but that part that wants
to be enlightened, as well.
MICHAEL NEWTON
CHARLES RAMMELKAMP
MICHAEL NEWTON
Haunted Massachusetts
BY THOMAS DAGOSTINO
ISBN: 978-0-7643-2662-2
$12.95, SCHIFFER PUBLISHING, 2007
80
ISSUE
#21
Music Reviews
The Witchs Garden

ABANDONED TOYS
MYTHICAL RECORDS, 2007
CD#: MYTH 0003
rom its first notes, The

Witchs Garden is an imaginative tour de force that conjures up the secrets of nature.
Using little more than piano,
strings, ambient vocals, and plentiful sounds derived from the natural world, Abandoned Toys
transforms these elements into a
rich and unsettling masterpiece.
Within a lilac clutch starts out
the CD with a light touch but gradually grows more menacing as the
wind intensifies and the unknown
strangeness implied in its melody
creeps ever closer. Deeper and
more earthy, Vermillion reflections overlays its instrumentals
with vaguely sinister rasping and
rustling. The pianos delicacy
amidst humming, indistinct vocals
crafts a music-box melody of eerie
proportion.
The darker side of nature
evolves from the soft but strange
inhuman tones of wordless voices
and harsh winds in Where red
shadows slumber while violin
and piano harmonize in a mournful melody of falling leaves and
chimes in Flickering embrace.
The humming of strings and a
wood flute melody crescendo into
a stunning ascent as The great
dreaming swan soars like wind in
the night. And unseen creatures
creep and crunch their

way into the intense Spiraling into the sun.
Sweet but heavily
rosined stringsand the
husky cast of the voiceless
chantingadd an unfamiliar hoarseness to Flowering ashes. Finally, there is
the mysticism of The
witchs garden, a song
whose sound is in a direct
confrontation with the elemental sounds of wind
and water. Its ambient
conclusion crests to a clash of
sound and soulfulness.
Beautiful, haunting, and more
than a little unnerving, the CD is a
fascinating experiment in musical
storytelling, one that hints at its
own story but leaves us to ponder
its fascinating perambulations
through a landscape that defies
reality.
The Outpatience
ANXIOUS DISEASE
REALITY ENTERTAINMENT (2006)
he ever-increasing variety of
music available is a bit bewildering, sometimes leading one to nostalgia when the
next big thing was what everyone heard on the radio. There is a
reason that bands such as The
Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and
Guns n Roses have inspired new
fans in succeeding generations,
and if you are one of those fans,
Anxious Disease is what you have
been waiting for.
Inbred starts things off with
catchy guitar riffs and congenial
vocals while Wound Up in a

Vega relies on breathy distorted
vocals and drawn out melodies.
What both share, however, along
with the rest of the album, is a
catchy, congenial sense of
rhythm.
The upbeat tempo of Dragon
in the Flames, and its terrific guitar solos rival any rock classic. The
title track is among the hardest
hitting on the CD, its drawling and
rasping suiting its darker tones,
the howling refrain a cry of genuine misery. Similarly, Black Eye
plays out in a howling frenzy that
anticipates the anger of its lyrics
in almost a parody of the empty
commercialized angst in its Got
no friends at all refrain.
Balancing dark and light, the
CD is consistently buoyed by a
sense of hope, a positive vibe that
softens but never completely
erodes the musics sharper
edges. Heart Again mixes piano
and organ to add a softer hymnlike element to its introspective
lyrics, hinting at a rock-gospel feel
with its telling interlude and chorus of voices while the folksier
L.O.V.E. uses the echoing of
other singers to emphasize its
meaning at the end of every line.
One of the best on the album, All
the World is Asleep is a soothing
country tune with a breezy, bluesy
sound.
Down to earth and positive but
never preachy, every song on Outpatience is a little gem that will
get a large slice of music fans
going, no matter what their tastes.
The Journey
SOUL PATH
REALITY ENTERTAINMENT (2006)
eltic and New Age themes

usually seem to harmonize
well, as the ancient spirit
that motivates both often flows
beautifully from one to the other.
In this case, the melding of the
two is less than successful. The
Journey is a long and boring one,
lacking the beauty and substance
that one would hope for in this fusion of electronica, traditional instruments, ambient sounds, and
spoken-word elements.
Celtic Myst mixes fiddle,
bodhrum, and rebec with New
Agey elements that repeat the
melody line in a weirdly digitized
way; the brief interlude is too
short to pick up the momentum it
would need to engage the listener,
and things only go downhill from
here. Natural sounds occasionally

intrude, such as the waves and
crying seagulls of Cyhiraeth, but
neither the style nor the performance offer anything to differentiate this CD from the hundreds of
others that crowd the market
each year.
This mixed bag of elements
also includes spoken-word meditation sessions, as alternating
male and female voices talk one
through positive visualization and
meditative breathing. This portion
of the CD is perhaps its most successful, since the piano melodies
interspersed with verbal cues are
at least soothing. Even so, their
gentle guidance is not really inspirational, derailing the multiple
aims of The Journey.
While some of this CD may be
of interest to fans of Celtic music,
this mixed bag of components
nonetheless lacks the spark, that
would make the album shine.
And its random mixture of music
and meditation just ends up confusing rather than relaxing its audience.
RICHARD MACKENZIE
81
In the Theater
The Water Horse

Legend of the Deep (2007)
he Water Horse is a strange
juxtaposition of lyrical fantasy and brutal reality, a
somewhat unusual combination
in a family film. Despite this, it
proudly upholds the tradition of
prior entries in cryptozoological
cinema, from Baby: Secret of the
Lost Legend to Harry and the
Hendersons. Somewhat formulaic
but moving nonetheless, the film
offers a glimpse not only into ancient folklore, but also into the vagaries of human behavior, both
good and ill.
Young Angus finds his life on
the shores of World War II-era
Loch Ness disrupted on several
fronts. The loss of his father in the
war has alienated him from his
mother and sister while a contingent of British troops billeted on
their shorefront property has
turned their lives upside down.
The strangest disruption of all,
however, is the barnacle-encrusted egg that he finds in a tidepool. And when the egg hatches to
reveal a miniscule kelpie, Angus,
his sister, and a mysterious
handyman try to care for the mythical beast, but its habit of eating
literally everything in sightand its
prodigious growthlead to its
eventual return back to Loch
82
Ness. Inevitably, the attention it

attracts leads to life-changing
repercussions. Threatened by the
military as well as the locals out to
draw tourists to their remote corner of Scotland, the enraged creature retaliates, and its relationship
with Angus may not be enough to
save either of them.
The plot, frankly, is generic, relying largely on simplistic humor in
this literal fish-out-of-water story,
buoyed along by the endearing
qualities of the creature. From its
rippling skin to its quizzical expressions to the awesome underwater sequences, superb effects
make the little kelpie at first endearing, and later, menacing,
adding a twist to the stereotypical
friendly creature concept. The
stunning cinematography and
landscapes also help to add to the
films realism.
As much a film about the effects of war and relationships as
it is a cryptozoologists dream, the
darker undertones of the story
make it less than suitable for
younger audiences, as it juxtaposes every childs fantasy with
the harsh reality of war, human
greed, stupidity, and cruelty.
At once gorgeous and brutal,
The Water Horse is a unique take
on ancient legend that, while uneven, manages to convey the best
and worst of both man and beast.
n its surface, Cloverfield is

essentially Godzilla meets
The Blair Witch Project, a
monster movie filmed entirely
from one characters perspective.
cape New York City when a monster of unknown origin rampages

through large sections of the city,
all from the perspective of one of
the group and his constantly
rolling video camera, the fearful
vision provides unique thrills.
From the hurtling head of the
Statue of Liberty ripped from the
statue by the beast, a terrifying
near escape by helicopter, and
chases up and down stairwells
and through the chaos of a city
gone mad, the film captures the
sense of terror and uncertainty in
a haunting montage of images
that are surprising in their effectiveness. The lack of exposition or
explanation works well, throwing
the audience right into the middle
of the action and making it difficult to get ones bearings. Juxtaposing the complex relationships
of the attendees at a party with
the nightmare to come, the five
While the plot is relatively unoriginal, its unique creature designs

and its striking visual style elevate
it to heights rarely achieved by
similar films. A virtual non-stop
thrill ride that surprisingly does
not scrimp on characterization, its
P.O.V. effect is disconcerting and
unnerving, which adds to its impact and draws in the audience.
Chronicling the efforts of a
group of friends and their attempts to rescue others and es-
friends are forced to put their

petty feuds on hold as they as
they tear around New York City,
the voracious beast and its accompanying parasites in high pursuit of anything edible. The
impersonality of the camera, however, captures their foibles, creating a strange combination of
simultaneous sympathy and detachment for the characters.
Echoed in its fragmentary style is
the uncertainty of their fates as
Cloverfield (2007)
ISSUE
#21
In the Theater
well, leaving the camera as the
only objective witness to the devastation.
With an intensity unmatched in
recent films, the first-person terror is palpable; like a YouTube
video from hell, one simply cant
look away from the hypnotic series of events. While some of it becomes repetitious, there are
enough shocks, twists, and turns
to satisfy even the hardened horror buff.
Evocative of Lovecraft and his
uncanny ability to shock and
move his audience with unnamable and otherworldly creatures,
Cloverfield is an uneven but striking cinematic feat that will scare
the living daylights out of you.
Peaceful Warrior (2007)
rare feel-good story, Peaceful Warrior is a moving true

story of a young man who
overcomes the odds by finding
strength within himself. Based on
a book by Dan Millman, the autobiographical tale follows a young
world-class
gymnast
(Scott
Mechlowicz) who has everything
going for him: athletic prowess, intelligence, and popularity. Dans
all-consuming desire for material
success, however, leads to a continuing sense of frustration and
dissatisfaction with his life. After
a series of encounters with the
mysterious and aptly named
Socrates (Nick Nolte), he finds his

beliefs and very existence challenged. Urged to surpass his expectations and delve within
himself to find the peace and
strength he seeks, Dan begins to
change. After a near catastrophe
derails his life, the challenges he
faces take on new meaning as his
very survival depends on the lessons he had sought to learn.
The highs and lows of his story
make for compelling filmmaking
that has an obvious moral but
does not proselytize. At times surreal and deeply introspective as
we see Dans visualization of his
own experiences and thought
processes, the film deftly balances humor, drama, and heady
philosophical subtext, avoiding
the minefield of prosaic and overly
sappy overtones that mark similar
efforts. Echoing a philosophy
drawn from sources as wide-ranging as Sun Tsus Art of War and
the aphorisms of Nietzsche, Millman exults in the here and now,
emphasizing the point that only by
understanding oneself and embracing every moment of ones
life as a gift and a lesson can one
progress toward true understanding and happiness.
Peaceful Warrior is a film as entertaining as it is enlightening, and
many will find its message a timely
one in our era of instant gratification, the seeming disposability of
everything, and the subsequent

emptiness we feel from it.
Howls Moving
Castle (2007)
he most recent of beloved

Japanese director Hayao
Miyazakis
extraordinary
films, Howls Moving Castle is yet
another masterpiece of animation
that will engage and delight young
and old alike.
Admittedly a loose adaptation
of Diane Wynn Jones classic of
modern fantasy, the tale follows
Sophie, a quiet village girl who is
transformed into a 90-year-old
woman after inadvertently slighting the fearsome Witch of the
Waste. In a desperate attempt to
reverse the spell, she seeks out
the vain and capricious wizard
Howl, whose perpetually wandering abode roams the countryside
beyond the town. She soon discovers that Howls wealth of personal flaws and professional
crises make her premature aging
a minor issue by comparison, and
both discover new insights into
themselves as they try to help one
another.
Sophie, who perceives herself
as plain and unappealing, finds a
strange sort of liberation in her
newfound age. Despite the creaking joints, she finds new purpose
beyond societys and her own expectations, and eventually the
strength to save herself and
everyone around her. Howl, in
contrast, finds his flight from responsibilityaptly symbolized by
the constantly moving pile of junk
that constitutes his home and
workshopa near-fatal flaw as he
is besieged on all sides by increasingly dangerous foes, from
the smitten Witch of the Waste to
the court sorceress Suleiman,
who demands Howls service in a
war he sees as an atrocity.
By turns introspective and action-packed, Miyazaki has a rare
gift for creating stunning visuals,
juxtaposing extraordinary and inventive action sequences with
some of the most gorgeous portrayals of nature ever captured on
film, animated or not. Surreal
blob-like creatures, a chatty firedemon, a pogo-stick of a scarecrow, and the mixture of magic
and steam-powered Victorian
technology make for a visual
feast. A dreamlike, lyrical fantasy,
Howls Moving Castle is a cinematic triumph.
RICHARD MACKENZIE
83
2008 Event Listings

CONSCIOUSNESS WORK
CREATIVE FLOW
Aug. 23-Aug. 29, 2008; Faber, VA
Cost: $1,995 (incl. room/board) | Contact:
Monroe Institute, 365 Roberts Mountain Road,
Faber, VA 22938, (866) 881-3440 or (434)
361-1252 | Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.monroeinstitute.org
CROP CIRCLES AND SACRED SITES-ANCIENT

MYSTERIES AND MODERN MYSTERIES
July 19-28, 2008; England
Aug. 1-10, 2008; England
Cost: 1,495 | Contact: Cameron Brighton, Sacred Britain Tours, PO Box 760, Shelburne, VT
05482, (802) 425-5616 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.sacredbritain.com
EXPLORATION 27
July 19, 2008; Faber, VA
Cost: $1,795 | Contact: Monroe Institute, 365
Roberts Mountain Road, Faber, VA 22938,
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.monroeinstitute.org
SILVA ULTRAMIND SEMINAR

July 12-13, 2008; Columbus, OH
July 26-27, 2008; Minneapolis, MN
Aug. 2-3, 2008; Phoenix, AZ
Aug. 9-10, 2008; Los Angeles, CA
Aug. 16-27, 2008; San Francisco, CA
Sep. 6-7, 2008; Portsmouth, NH
Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.silvaultramindsystem.com
CROP CIRCLES, EARTH

MYSTERIES AND ANCIENT SITES
July 22-29, 2008; southern England
July 31-Aug. 4, 2008; southern England
Contact: Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours &
Well Within, PO Box 1563, Nevada City, CA
95959, (530) 740-0561 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.nccn.net
FIVE WEDNESDAYS
Contact: Monroe Institute, 365 Roberts Mountain Road, Faber, VA 22938, (866) 881-3440
or
(434)
361-1252
|
Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.monroeinstitute.com
STARLINES
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
EARTH SPIRIT CONFERENCE

WISDOM FOR CHANGING TIMES
Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2008; Richmond, VT
Contact: EarthSpirit Conference, PO Box 760,
Shelburne, VT 05482, (802) 922-7507 | Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
www.earthspiritconferences.com
GUIDELINES
Aug. 2, 2008; Faber, VA
Sep. 13, 2008; Faber, VA
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
HEARTLINE
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
LIFELINE
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
MC2 - MANIFESTATION
AND CREATION SQUARED
Sep. 27, 2008; Faber, VA
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
MONROE INSTITUTE PEAK WEEK
July 26-Aug. 1, 2008; Faber, VA
Cost: $1,995 (incl. room/board ) | Contact:
Faber, VA 22938, (866) 881-3440 or (434)
84
PEACEFUL WARRIOR LIFE

PURPOSE ALASKAN CRUISE
Sep. 14-21, 2008; Alaska
Contact: Life Journeys, 101 West Fourth Street,
Suite 400, Santa Ana, CA 92701, (888) 2599191 or (714) 619-8859 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.ronoyer.com/UpcomingJourneys/
CROP CIRCLES
CROP CIRCLES & MERLIN'S AVALON
July 23-Aug. 4, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Contact: Earth Mysteries Travel, (888) 6332214 or (251) 229-2227 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.treeoflifeschool.com
CROP CIRCLES ADVANCED
RESEARCH TOUR
July 27-Aug. 3, 2008; Wiltshire, England
Contact: Ron Russell, PO Box 460760, Aurora,
CO 80046 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.cropcircles.org
CROP CIRCLE ADVENTURE
July 31-Aug. 7, 2008; southern England
Cost: 1,155 | Contact: Denni Clarke, PO Box
9655, Oban, PA34 4WN, Scotland, UK, +44
(0)1631 564 750 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.magicalmysterytours.com
CROP CIRCLES AND MYSTICAL ENGLAND
July 22-28, 2008; Southwest England
Cost: $1,777 | Contact: Cariel Quinly, Sacred
MAS Productions, 1611-A South Melrose Drive
#246, Vista, CA 92081, (760) 941-0608 |
Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
www.cabiz.net/heartlinktour
CROP CIRCLES AND
SACRED PLACES MAIN TOUR
July 12-20, 2008; Wiltshire, England
Contact: Ron Russell, PO Box 460760, Aurora,
CO 80046 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.cropcircles.org
ENGLAND'S MYSTERIOUS
CROP CIRCLES AND STONEHENGE
Aug. 1-8, 2008; Wiltshire, England
Cost: $2,300 | Contact: Dr. Chet Snow, PO Box
1738, Sedona, AZ 86339, (928) 204-1962 |
Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.chetsnow.com
GLASTONBURY SYMPOSIUM: INVESTIGATING
CROP CIRCLES AND SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
July 25-27, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Cost: 98; Single-day 35-40 | Contact: Di
Brown, Ivy Cottage, Stawell, Somerset, TA7 9AA,
UK, +0 (44) 01278 722833 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk
MAGICAL AND MYSTICAL TOUR TO ENGLAND
July 18-25, 2008; Wiltshire, England
Contact: Bert Janssen or Heather Clewett, (+1)
928 301 6345 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.cropcirclesandmore.com
MISTS OF AVALON: CROP
CIRCLES & STONEHENGE
Aug. 1-10, 2008; England
Cost: $2,900-$3,900 | Contact: Celtic Mystical
Journeys, 11188 Thousand Pine Circle,
Frankston, TX 75763, (877) 756-8763 or (903)
876-5869 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.celticmysticaljourneys.com
THE SUMMER CROP CIRCLE LECTURES
Aug. 2-3, 2008; Devizes, England
Cost: 75 weekend; 35-40 day| Contact:
Karen Alexander, 27 St Francis Road, Gosport,
Hampshire, UK P012 2UG, (+44) (0)23
92352867 | Email: [email protected]
| Web: www.summerlectures.co.uk
ISSUE
#21
Now Accepting Listings for Events Running NO EARLIER than July, 2008
Place your Listing Today!

Event Listing Only: FREE
CARIBBEAN CONSCIOUSNESS CRUISE
Feb. 9-16, 2008; Caribbean
Contact: Life Journeys, 101 West Fourth Street, Suite 400, Santa Ana, CA
92701, (888) 259-9191 or (714) 619-8859 | Email: [email protected]
| Web: www.ronoyer.com
Yes, include my event in the next issue!

Event Title
Date
Listing & (up to)

50-Word Description: $25
Cost
INTO THE HEART OF THE DESERT: A

HEALING ADVENTURE IN THE SOUTHWEST
Sept. 29-Oct. 7, 2008; Albuquerque, NM
Cost: $995 | Contact: Cathy Pedevillano, 101 West Fourth Street, Suite 400,
Santa Ana, CA 92701, (978) 855-0688 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.sacredearthnetwork.org | Visit sacred sites, hot springs,
prehistoric cliff dwellings, rock art, red desert canyons, and Native American
medicine people. This is a gathering of intention on sacred land that can be
a gateway to the expanded consciousness needed to see the way forward
more clearly, both personally and collectively.
Street
Listing & b/w Photo or Logo: $25
(up to) 50-Word Description
Contact Name
City/State/Zip
Phone #:
Email
Web URL
CARIBBEAN
CONSCIOUSNESS CRUISE
Feb. 9-16, 2008; Caribbean
Contact: Life Journeys, 101 West
Fourth Street, Suite 400, Santa
Ana, CA 92701, (888) 259-9191
or (714) 619-8859 | Email:
[email protected] | Web:
www.ronoyer.com
Listing, 50-Word Description,

and b/w Photo or Logo: $40
INTO THE HEART OF THE DESERT: A
HEALING ADVENTURE IN THE SOUTHWEST
Sept. 29-Oct. 7, 2008; Albuquerque, NM
Cost: $995 | Contact: Cathy Pedevillano, 101
West Fourth Street, Suite 400, Santa Ana, CA
92701, (978) 855-0688 | Email:
www.sacredearthnetwork.org | Visit sacred
sites, hot springs, prehistoric cliff dwellings,
rock art, red desert canyons, and Native
American medicine people. This is a gathering of intention on sacred land that can be a
gateway to the expanded consciousness
needed to see the way forward more clearly,
both personally and collectively.
________ Event listing only: FREE
......................$0 ......
________ Event listing & description: $25
.................................
________ Event listing & photo/logo: $25
.................................
________ Event listing, photo, descrip.: $40

3 or more listings: take 10% off!
Total Enclosed: ................................

Photo/Logo: make sure to email your photo to Kim, Editor, at
[email protected]. Photo should be 300 dpi, saved in
a graphic format (such as .jpeg, .pdf, etc), and no larger than 4x6.
Card #
Mail order form and make check payable to

Mysteries Magazine, PO Box 490, Walpole, NH 03608 USA
.................................
...........................
Expiration Date
Signature
Feel free to photocopy this page if you have multiple listings!
2008 Event Listings

TREASURE HUNT FOR CROP CIRCLES
July 19-22, 2008; Southwest England
Cost: $777 | Contact: Cariel Quinly, Sacred
#246, Vista, CA 92081, (760) 941-0608 |
Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
CRYPTOZOOLOGY
BIGFOOT DAYS CELEBRATION
Sep. 6-7, 2008; Willow Creek, CA
Contact: (800) 628-5156 or (530) 629-2032
BIGFOOT DAZE
Aug. 23-24, 2008; Carson, OR
Contact: Ray Crowe, Director IBS, 225 NE 30th
Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124, (503) 640-6581
| Email: [email protected] | Web: www.internationalbigfootsociety.com
BIGFOOT FIELD RESEARCHERS
ORGANIZATION EXPEDITIONS
July 17-20, 2008; BC, Canada
July 31-Aug. 3, 2008; Arizona
Aug. 7-10, 2008; BC, Canada
Aug. 14-17, 2008; Washington
Aug. 21-24, 2008; California
Aug. 28-31, 2008; Colorado
Sep. 11-14, 2008; California
Sep. 18-21, 2008; Pennsylvania
Cost: $300 | Contact: BFRO, (949) 278-6403 |
Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
www.bfro.net
EAST COAST BIGFOOT CONFERENCE
Sep. 27, 2008; Jeannette, PA
Cost: $10; $20 reserved| Contact: Eric Altman,
PBS Director, 181 Cardinal Drive, Jeannette, PA
15644, (724) 374-5555 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.pabigfootsociety.com/events
FLATWOODS MONSTER 56TH ANNIVERSARY
AND FLYING SAUCER EXTRAVAGANZA
Sep. 12-13, 2008; St Albans, WV
Cost: $10 | Contact: Larry Bailey, (304) 5502426 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.flatwoodsmonster.com
LEGEND OF BIGFOOT
Aug. 16, 2008; Fort Payne, AL
Contact: (256) 782-5697 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.tourala b a m a . o r g / t h i n g s - t o do/events/details.cfm?id=9190
MOTHMAN FESTIVAL
Sep. 20-21, 2008; Point Pleasant, WV
www.mothmanlives.com or www.mothmanfestival.com
WEIRD WEEKEND 2008
Aug. 15-17, 2008; North Devon, England
Cost: 20 advance; 25 door; 15 two-day
pass; 10 single-day pass | Contact: The Cen-
86
tre for Fortean Zoology, Myrtle Cottage, Woolfardisworthy, Bideford, North Devon EX39 5QR,
+44(0)1237 431413 | Email: [email protected]
| Web: www.weirdweekend.org
HEALING
CIRCLE OF POWER-MEDICINE WHEEL HEALING AND TEACHING CEREMONY
July 19-27, 2008; Sedona, AZ
Contact: Crossing Worlds Journeys and Retreats, PO Box 623, Sedona, AZ 86339, (800)
350-2693 or (928) 203-0024 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.crossingworlds.com/wheel
DNA INTUITIVE HEALING
INTRODUCTORY SEMINAR
July 11, 2008; West Hollywood, CA
Aug. 3, 2008; West Hollywood, CA
Sep. 7, 2008; West Hollywood, CA
Cost: Free | Contact: (310) 915-2884 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.selacia.com
HEALING TOUCH INTL. CONFERENCE
VALIDATING THE HEART'S WORK
Sep. 3-7, 2008; Milwaukee, WI
Contact: Healing Touch International, (303)
989-7982 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.healingtouchinternational.org
INTL. HEALING SOUNDS INTENSIVE
July 19-27, 2008; Loveland, CO
Cost: $1,395 | Contact: Jonathan Goldman, PO
Box 2240, Boulder, CO 80306, (800) 246-9764
| Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.healingsounds.com
WELL-BEING ADVENTURE CRUISE
July 20-27, 2008; Alaska
Contact: Life Journeys, 101 West Fourth Street,
Suite 400, Santa Ana, CA 92701, (888) 2599191 or (714) 619-8859 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.ronoyer.com/UpcomingJourneys/
OTHER
DRACULA TOUR: VAMPIRE
VACATION TO TRANSYLVANIA
July 10-17, 2008; Transylvania, Romania
Cost: $2,199 | Contact: Tours of Terror, 315
Derby Avenue, Orange, CT 06477, (866) TERRORTOUR or (203) 795-4737 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.toursandevents.com/Tours%20of%20Terror
EVOLVE YOUR BRAIN
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP
July 11-13, 2008; Rhinebeck, NY
www.drjoedispenza.com
HARMONIC CONVERGENCE 2008

Aug. 7-17, 2008; Ireland
Cost: 1440 (airfare not incl.) | Contact: Earth
Mysteries Travel, (888) 633-2214 or (250) 2292227 | Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.treeoflifeschool.com
PLEIDIAN LIGHTWORK INTENSIVE TRAINING
July 12-Aug. 9, 2008; Mount Shasta, CA
Cost: $1,200-$2,800 | Contact: Dolphin Star
Temple Mystery School, PO Box 1582, Mount
Shasta, CA 96067, (530) 926-1122 | Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
www.amorahquanyin.com
POWERBEYOND QUANTUM
LEADERSHIP JOY SERIES
July 25-27, 2008; New York, NY
Cost: $333+ | Contact: Todd Stockwell, (734)
Web: www.beyond1111.com
PROPHECY, NEW SCIENCE AND
THE DAYS TO COME CONFERENCE
July 11-13, 2008; Mt. Shasta, CA
Cost: $275 | Contact: Shalomar Productions,
404 North Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mt. Shasta, CA
96067, (530) 926-1228 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.shalomarproductions.com
PARANORMAL
CHICAGO SUPERNATURAL
CHINATOWN TOUR
July 6, 2008; Chicago, IL
Cost: $49 | Contact: Richard T. Crowe, PO Box
557544, Chicago, IL 60655, (708) 499-0300 |
Web: www.ghosttours.com
DINNER AND A GHOST
Aug. 17, 2008; Canal Fulton, OH
Cost: $40 | Contact: Sheri Brake-Recco,
Haunted Heartland Tours, PO Box 291, Cana
Fulton, OH 44614, (304) 412-6114 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.hauntedhistory.net
GASLIGHT, MAGIC AND MAYHEM
DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY TOUR
July 27, 2008; Chicago, IL
Cost: $46 | Contact: Richard T. Crowe, PO Box
557544, Chicago, IL 60655, (708) 499-0300 |
Web: www.ghosttours.com
GHOST! EXPO
Sep. 14-16, 2008; Fredericksburg, VA
Cost: $155 (15% disc. online) | Contact: Ghost!
Magazine, PO Box 2052, Macclenny, FL 32063
| Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.ghostmag.com
GHOST HUNT AT THE WEST VIRGINIA
STATE PENITENTIARY: AFTER
MIDNIGHT XTREME GHOST INVESTIGATION
July 19, 2008; Moundsville, WV
ISSUE
#21
2008 Event Listings

Aug. 23, 2008; Moundsville, WV
Cost: $75 (incl. round trip bus from North Canton; must be 18) | Contact: Sheri Brake-Recco,
Haunted Heartland Tours, PO Box 391, Canal
Fulton, OH 44614, (330) 412-6114 | Email:
GHOSTHUNTING 101 CLASSES AND
INVESTIGATIONS AT THE FORMER WEST
VIRGINIA STATE PENITENTIARY
Aug. 22, 2008; Moundsville, WV
Cost: $50 | Contact: Sheri Brake-Recco,
Haunted Heartland Tours, PO Box 291, Cana
Fulton, OH 44614, (304) 412-6114 | Email:
GHOSTS OF GETTYSBURG
HAUNTED OVERNIGHT
Sep. 12-14, 2008; from Akron, OH to
Gettysburg, PA
Cost: $315-$615 depending upon occ. | Contact: Sheri Brake-Recco, Haunted Heartland
Tours, PO Box 291, Cana Fulton, OH 44614,
(304) 412-6114 | Email: [email protected]
| Web: www.hauntedhistory.net
HAUNTED HEARTLAND BUS TOUR
July 18, 2008; Wayne County, OH
Aug. 16, 2008; Wayne County, OH
Sep. 6, 2008; Wayne County, OH
Contact: Sheri Brake-Recco, Haunted Heartland
Tours, PO Box 291, Cana Fulton, OH 44614,
(304) 412-6114 | Email: [email protected]
| Web: www.hauntedhistory.net
HAUNTED LINCOLN THEATER
OVERNIGHT EXCURSION
July 19, 2008; Decatur, IL
Cost: $50 | Contact: Troy Taylor, History &
Hauntings Book Company, 15 Forest Knolls
Est., Decatur, IL 62521, (888) 446-7859 |
www.prairieghosts.com
MANSFIELD REFORMATORY GHOST HUNT
July 5, 2008; Mansfield, OH
July 19, 2008; Mansfield, OH
Aug. 2, 2008; Mansfield, OH
Cost: $50 (incl. dinner); must be 21 or older |
Contact: Historic Ohio State Reformatory, 100
Reformatory Road, Mansfield, OH 44905, (419)
522-2644 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
mrps.org
THE SCARE FEST PARANORMAL
AND HORROR CONVENTION
Sep. 12-14, 2008; Lexington, KY
Cost: $15 to $95 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.thescarefest.com
REMOTE VIEWING
SACRED SITES/PILGRIMAGES
ADVANCED CONTROLLED REMOTE

VIEWING TRAINING
July 11-13, 2008; Alamogordo, NM
Sep. 5-7, 2008; Alamogordo, NM
Cost: $1,000 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.crviewer.com/calendar
A CELTIC JOURNEY TO MYSTERIOUS

WALES, ENGLAND AND CORNWALL
Aug. 10-23, 2008; United Kingdom
Cost: $2,895 | Contact: Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours & Well Within, PO Box 1563, Nevada City, CA 95959, (530) 740-0561 | Email:
www.nccn.net/~wwithin/
BASIC CONTROLLED REMOTE

VIEWING TRAINING
July 11-13, 2008 Amarillo, TX
Aug. 2-4, 2008; Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Aug. 8-10, 2008; Amarillo, TX
A CHANGE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
A UNIQUE SACRED ART EXPERIENCE
July 13-22, 2008; southern England
(0)1631 564 750 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.magicalmystery
CONTROLLED REMOTE VIEWING MONITOR

Aug. 22-24, 2008; Alamogordo, NM
GATEWAY VOYAGE
July 12, 2008, Faber, VA
July 19, 2008; Petaluma, CA
Cost: $1,795 (incl. room and board) | Contact:
Faber, VA 22938, (866) 881-3440 or (434)
INTEGRAL REMOTE VIEWING
WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Aug. 31-Sep. 1, 2008; Kenmore, WA
Cost: $290 ($260 adv.) | Contact: Dr. Wayne
Carr, Western Institute of Remote Viewing, 218
Main Street #634, Kirkland, WA 98033, (866)
759-9010 or (425) 488-5496 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.remoteviewers.com
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF CONTROLLED
REMOTE VIEWING
Sep. 26-28, 2008; Alamogordo, NM
REMOTE VIEWING PRACTICUM
Cost: $1,795 | Contact: The Monroe Institute,
365 Roberts Mountain Road, Faber, VA 22938,
(866) 881-3440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email:
ANCIENT TEMPLES & PYRAMIDS:

INITIATING HARMONIES OF THE HEART
Sep. 17-25, 2008; Egypt
Cost: $3,850|Contact: Blue Lotus Journeys, PO
Box 3857, Scottsdale, AZ 85271, (928) 8210322|Email:
info@bluelotusjourneys.
com|Web: www.bluelotusjourneys.com
ARGYLL ADVENTURE
Sep. 13-20, 2008; Argyll, Scotland
Cost: 995 | Contact: Denni Clarke, PO Box
AVALON: MYTH, MYSTERY AND MAGIC
July 28-Aug. 6, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Cost: $2,895 | Contact: Celtic Spirit Journeys,
Box 3839, Carmel, CA 93921, (800) 657-1520
or +44 (0)1239-858830 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.celticspiritjourneys.com
AVALON TO ATLANTIS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH MYSTICAL ENGLAND
Sep. 1-11, 2008; Glastonbury and
Cornwall, England
Cost: $3,195 | Contact: Celtic Spirit Journeys,
Box 3839, Carmel, CA 93921, (800) 657-1520
or +44 (0)1239-858830 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.celticspiritjourneys.com
AVALON TO CAMELOT: A JOURNEY
THROUGH THE MYTHS OF TIME
Sep. 3-12, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Cost: 1750 | Contact: Gothic Image, 7 High
Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9DP, England, +44(0)1458 831281 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.gothicimagetours.co.uk
87
2008 Event Listings

CELTIC MYSTICAL SACRED
SITES OF IRELAND
Cost: $3,335 | Contact: Celtic Mystical Journeys, 11188 Thousand Pine Circle, Frankston,
TX 75763, (877) 756-8763 or (903) 876-5869
| Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.celticmysticaljourneys.com
EQUINOX PILGRIMAGE WITH FARAG
HAWASH & S. SUZANNE GRANDON
Sep. 17-25, 2008; Egypt
Contact: Blue Lotus Journeys, PO Box 3857,
Scottsdale, AZ 85271, (928) 821-0322 |
www.bluelotusjourneys.com
GOLDEN ISLE OF THE GODDESS
Contact: Glenn and Cameron Brighton, Sacred
Britain Tours, PO Box 760, Shelburne, VT
05482, (802) 425-5616 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.sacredbritain.com
JOURNEY TO THE FIVE HEARTS OF IRELAND
Cost: 1,495 | Contact: Glenn and Cameron
Brighton, Sacred Britain Tours, PO Box 760,
Shelburne, VT 05482, (802) 425-5616 |
www.sacredbritain.com/ireland
MYSTERIOUS WALES, ENGLAND &
CORNWALLEARTH MYSTERIES,
ANCIENT SITES, CELTIC TEACHINGS
Aug. 12-23, 2008; United Kingdom
MYSTERIOUS WALES: LAND OF MERLIN
Sep. 12-21, 2008; Wales
Cost: $1,795 | Contact: Gothic Image, 7 High
Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9DP, England, +44(0)1458 831281 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.gothicimagetours.co.uk/sacred-tours-wales
MYSTERY OF THE FOUR HERESIES
SACRED SITES TOUR
Sep. 9-21, 2008; France
Cost: $3,880 | Contact: Celtic Mystical Journeys, 11188 Thousand Pine Circle, Frankston,
TX 75763, (877) 756-8763 or (903) 876-5869
| Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.celticmysticaljourneys.com
MYSTICAL IRELAND
July 28-Aug. 1, 2008; Ireland
Cost: $999 | Contact: Cariel Quinly, Sacred
#246, Vista, CA 92081, (760) 941-0608 |
Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
88
MYSTICAL IRELANDMYTHOLOGY,
ANCIENT SITES & HISTORY'S MYSTERIES
July 2-15, 2008; Ireland
Cost: $2,695 | Contact: Sheri Nakken, Earth
Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours & Well Within,
PO Box 1563, Nevada City, CA 95959, (530)
740-0561
|
Email:
MYSTICAL PILGRIMAGE OF INITIATION
TO ANCIENT AVALON AND SACRED
SITES OF THE GODDESS
July 20-26, 2008; England
Cost: $1,899 (airfare incl.) | Contact: Sacred
Journeys, PMB 330, 51 Bell Rock Plaza, Suite
A, Sedona, AZ 86351, (800) 231-9811 or (928)
284-2384 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.bodymindspiritjourneys.com
MYSTICAL SCOTLAND
Aug. 1-5, 2008; Scotland
Cost: $1,299 | Contact: Cariel Quinly, Sacred
#246, Vista, CA 92081, (760) 941-0608 |
Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
PROPHETS CONFERENCE GLASTONBURY
& SACRED SITES TOUR: ORBS
INTERACTING WITH OTHER REALMS
July 7-13, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Contact: Mystery School, 369 Montezuma Avenue, Suite 103, Santa Fe, NM 87501, (888)
777-5981 or (505) 988-2223 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.greatmystery.org
RECLAIMING PARADISE: GATHERING
THE LIGHT KEEPERS AT THE AUTUMNAL
EQUINOX
Sep. 14-29, 2008; Peru
Cost: $2,999 | Contact: Aluna Joy Yaxk'in, Center of the Sun, PO Box 1988, Sedona, AZ
|
Web:
www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/pilgrimages
SACRED JOURNEY INTO THE
ANCIENT MYSTERIES
Aug. 23-Sep. 6, 2008; Tibet and Nepal
Cost: $3,679 | Contact: Sacred Journeys, PMB
330, 51 Bell Rock Plaza, Suite A, Sedona, AZ
86351, (800) 231-9811 or (928) 284-2384 |
Email: [email protected] | Web: www.bodymindspiritjourneys.com
SACRED SCOTLAND & STONEHENGE
WITH WILLIAM HENRY
Aug. 14-24, 2008; Glastonbury, England
Cost: $3,400 | Contact: | Contact: Dr. Chet
Snow, PO Box 1738, Sedona, AZ 86339, (928)
Web: www.chetsnow.com/scotland
SACRED SITES OF THE DIVINE FEMININE

Sep. 18-27, 2008; France
Cost: $3,395 | Contact: Sacred Journeys, PMB
330, 51 Bell Rock Plaza, Suite A, Sedona, AZ
86351, (800) 231-9811 or (928) 284-2384 |
Email: [email protected] | Web: www.bodymindspiritjourneys.com
SACRED SITES OF THE WESTERN ISLES
Aug. 30-Sep. 8, 2008; Scotland
SPAS, HOT SPRINGS, STANDING
STONES & SACRED NATURE
Sep. 6-15, 2008; Switzerland
Cost: 2,795 | Contact: Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours & Well Within, PO Box 1563, Nevada City, CA 95959, (530) 740-0561 | Email:
THE SACRED IN NATURE
AND NORSE MYTHOLOGY
Sep. 3-15, 2008; Norway
UNLOCKING THE INCAN CODE OF
TIME WITH GREGG BRADEN
Aug. 18-31, 2008; Peru
Contact: Power Places Tours, Inc., 6755 Earl
Drive, Ste. 102, Colorado Springs, CO 80918,
(800) 234-8687 or (719) 448-0514 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.powerplaces.com
SHAMANISM/SHAPESHIFTING
ADVANCED SHAPESHIFTING
Aug. 17-22, 2008; Rhinebeck, NY
Contact: Omega Institute, 150 Lake Drive,
Rhinebeck, NY 12572, (845) 266-4444 or
(800) 944-1001 | Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.eomega.org
AWAKEN THE SHAMAN WITHIN
SHAMANIC HEALING INITIATORY PROCESS
July 5, 2008; Sylvan, NC
Contact: Venus Rising, PO Box 486, Sylva, NC
|
Web:
www.shamanicbreathwork.org
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC
A SHAMANIC BREATHWORK WEEKEND
Aug. 8-10, 2008; Sylvan, NC
Cost: $315 (lodging and meals) | Contact:
Venus Rising, PO Box 486, Sylva, NC 28779,
(828)
631-2305
|
Email:
ISSUE
#21
2008 Event Listings

FIVE DAY SOUL RETRIEVAL TRAINING
Aug. 10-15, 2008; Portland, OR
Contact: Foundation for Shamanic Studies, PO
Box 1939, Mill Valley, CA 94942, (415) 3808282 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.shamanism.org
HONORING OUR SHADOW
Aug. 17-24, 2008; Portland, OR
|
Web:
OPENING TO THE SECRETS: A VENUS
RISING SHAMANIC MYSTERY SCHOOL
JOURNEY TO INNER EGYPT WITH STAR
WOLF AND RUBY FALCONER
July 24-27, 2008; Sylvan, NC
|
Web:
SHAMANIC ASTROLOGY SCRIPT
AND ARCHETYPES CHART ANALYSIS
July 9-13, 2008; Kansas City, KS
Contact: Cayelin K. Castell, (520) 744-6923 |
www.shamanicastrology.com
SHAMANIC EXTRACTION HEALING TRAINING
July 12-13, 2008; Boulder, CO
Aug. 23-24, 2008; San Diego, CA
Contact: Journeywork Institute, PO Box 13160,
Portland, OR 97213, (503) 282-6315 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.shamanism.org
SHAMANIC JOURNEY WORKSHOP
Contact: The Monroe Institute, 62 Roberts
Mountain Road, Faber, VA 22938, (866) 8813440 or (434) 361-1252 | Email: [email protected]
|
Web:
www.monroeinstitute.org
SHAMANIC REIKI HEALING
Contact: Lynda, Dream Change, PO Box 705,
Whately, MA 01093, (413) 665-0101 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.dreamchange.org
SHAMANISM AND THE SPIRITS OF NATURE
July 26-27, 2008; Edmonton, AB, Canada
Aug. 2-3, 2008; Chapel Hill, NC
Aug. 16-17, 2008; Frederick, MD
Aug. 23-24, 2008; Sausalito, CA
Contact: Journeywork Institute, PO Box 13160,
Portland, OR 97213, (503) 282-6315 | Web:
www.shamanism.org
SHAPESHIFTING INTO HIGHER LEVELS

OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Contact: Lynda, Dream Change, PO Box 705,
Whately, MA 01093, (413) 665-0101 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.dreamchange.org
UFOLYMPICS
Aug. 9-10, 2008; Hooper, CO
Cost: $25 adv.; $30 gate | Contact: Judy Messoline, UFO Watchtower, 2502 County Road 61,
Center, CO 81125, (719) 378-2296 | Email:
[email protected]
|
Web:
www.ufowatchtower.com
SOUL RETRIEVAL TRAINING

July 5, 2008; Sylvan, NC
Cost: $980 (includes lodgings and meals) |
|
Web:
VISION QUESTS
WAY OF THE SHAMAN BASIC WORKSHOP

July 12-13, 2008; Frederick, MD
July 26-27, 2008; Kirkwood, MO
Aug. 30-31, 2008; Orlando, FL
Sep. 6-7, 2008; Phoenix, AZ
Sep. 6-7, 2008; Ashland, OR
Contact: Foundation for Shamanic Studies, PO
Box 1939, Mill Valley, CA 94942, (415) 3808282 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.shamanism.org
UFOS & ALIENS

ALAMO UFO CONFERENCE
Aug. 29-31, 2008; Alamo, NV
Cost: $105 until July 15; $125 thereafter; $65
single-day | Contact: Ike Bishop (208) 3456174 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.free | Web:s.com/alamo-ufoconference
ANCIENT OF DAYS CONFERENCE
July 4-6, 2008; Roswell, NM
Contact: Alien Resistance Headquarters, PO
Box 0794, Roswell, NM 88202, (505) 9140498 | Email: [email protected] |
Web: www.ancientofdays.net
AZTEC UFO SYMPOSIUM
July 4-6, 2008; Aztec, NM
Contact: Donna Chadwick, Aztec UFO Information Center, PO Box 178, Aztec, NM 87410,
(505) 334-9890 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.aztecufo.com/home1
E.T. FRIENDS
Aug. 24-30, 2008; Kailua-Kona, HI
Contact: Dolphin Connection International, PO
Box 102, Captain Cook, HI 96704, (888) 7557750 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.etfriends.com/Seminars
ROSWELL UFO FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE
July 4-6, 2008; Roswell, NM
Contact: (505) 623-5695 | Email:
[email protected] | Web: www.roswellufofestival.com
UFO DAZE
July 4-5, 2008; Dundee, WI
Cost: FREE | Contact: Bill Benson, (920) 5338219 | Web: www.thelightside.org
2008 VISION QUEST

Aug. 12-22, 2008; Somerset Lake, VT
Cost: $800 | Contact: Circles of Air, Circles of
Stone, PO Box 48, Putney, VT 05346, (802)
Web: www.questforvision.com
AN ANCIENT RITE OF PASSAGE:
THE VISION QUEST
July 26-Aug. 2, 2008; Pine Barrens, NJ
Cost: $650 (meals incl.) | Contact: Earth-Heart,
PO Box 926, Topanga, CA 90290, (310) 9671336 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
w w w. v i s i o n qu e s t - s p i r i t u a l r et r e a t s womensretreats-yoga.com
DEEP DESERT OVERLOOK QUEST FOR VISION
July 10-20, 2008; Canyon Country, UT
Cost: $1,775 (incl. meals and lodging) | Contact: | Contact: Trebbe Johnson, Vision Arrow,
PO Box 148, Thompson, PA 18465, (570) 7274272 | Email: [email protected] | Web:
www.visionarrow.com
ENDLESS MOUNTAINS QUEST FOR VISION
Aug. 18-22, 2008; northeastern PA
Cost: $595 (lodging not incl.) | Contact: | Contact: Trebbe Johnson, Vision Arrow, PO Box 148,
Thompson, PA 18465, (570) 727-4272 |
Email: [email protected] | Web: www.visionarrow.com
SEDONA VISION QUEST
Aug. 17-20, 2008; Sedona, AZ
Sep. 21-24, 2008; Sedona, AZ
Cost: $100/day adv; $125/day thereafter |
Email: [email protected] | Web: www.sedonavisionquest.com
SUMMER VISION QUEST
July 12-20, 2008; Inyo Mountains Ntl.
Forest, CA
Cost: $1,095 (meals provided) | Contact: Rites
of Passage, PO Box 2061, Santa Rosa, CA
95405, (707) 537-1927 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.ritesofpassagevisionquest.org
THE SEVEN LEVELS OF QUEST
ADVANCED VISION QUEST TEACHINGS
July 24-Aug. 2, 2008; New Jersey
Cost: $875 | Contact: The Earth-Heart Institute
of Vision and Healing, PO Box 926, Topanga, CA
90290, (310) 967-1336 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.visionquest-spiritualretreats-womensretreats-yoga.com
89
The ClassiFiles
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Wild Flower Press

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Wild Flower Press publishes books

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The seer encrypted his metaphysical prophecies in the symbology of
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The ClassiFiles
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is respected. References upon request. For more info, write to Todd
at PO Box 382, Becket, MA
01223, call (413) 281-9876, or
email [email protected].
$45, including battery. Abate Electronics, designer of the original

Electronic UFO Detector. Visit our
web site for more info, and to view
other models, including a paranormal ghost detector.
NOTE: Mysteries is not responsible

for any of the information presented
here. Complaints about services or
products found listed within these
pages should be directed to the
company placing the classified ad.
Tomorrows Answers for

Todays Questions
Let a psychic guide you in love, career, and relationships. Many peoples lives have become richer
with my help and guidance. For
free information, write to: Alto,
2225 Parkway #207, Pigeon
Forge, TN 37863-2997.
Visionary Psychic
Clarisse Conner
WWW.PSYCHICCLARISSECONNER.COM
Need answers? Naturally gifted

psychic can help you navigate
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along the way! Personal and business readings via phone: (530)
877-3446. Mystic Monday special: 10-minute reading only $20!
Tell us what you need! (909) 4737470, or write to Ekses, Box 9315R,
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92427-9315.T
ISSUE
#21
FOR A FREE CATALOG, CALL (870) 269-4177
If you are never going to die,

you dont need to read this book.
W
ithout the physical body, we

begin our deceased experience
near the earth and then move
into increasingly energized levels, eventually
either returning to God/Source or deciding
on another lifetime on
earth. What is most
interesting, however, is
that we continue after
death with the same
mind, personality,
attitudes and spiritual
awareness that we had
in life. In Choices in
the Afterlife, psychic medium Gretchen
Vogel details our after-death processes of
self-realization, assimilation, healing
and progression, as well as describes
what we all will experience once our
life here on earth comes to an end.
A must-read for any

spiritual truth-seeker
Kim Guarnaccia, editor,
Mysteries magazine
$14.95. Available at
www.HowSpiritWorks.com,
or by calling 603-209-1032.
Psychic readings also available!
Published By:
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Visit us online: www.UFOTV.com
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visit us at www.ufotv.com or call:
1-800-350-4639
WORLD: 310-578-5300
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All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International
Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole
or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, including
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Vol 6 #2, Issue #21

Exploring Mysteries from Modern Times to Yesteryear.

An Interview with the

Judith Kane: [email protected]

WWW.M YSTERIES M AGAZINE . COM

Take a Spiritual Journey

C ALIF ORNIA S P ORT C H IC AGO

65 C ALIFORNIA S L AKE M ONS TE RS

Do unknown creatures lurk in the depths of Californias freshwater lakes? Surprisingly,

WWW.M YSTERIES M AGAZINE . COM

"We should take care not

Italian Community Secretly Builds Breathtaking Underground Temples

Ghostly Activities at Californias Cal-Neva Resort

2008: The Year of the UFO?

Letters to the Editor

DR. ALLAN O'GRADY CUSEO

Cougars Alive and Well

great paw and smash her windshield and

NH, so I kept quiet. I thought it might

Letters to the Editor

Since then Ive asked naturalists, forest

to legally put aside 75 square miles of

Mysteries Magazine Should

This eerie image of a little girl was

Email your editorial comments, stories, and critiques to [email protected], or

The Best in Back Issues!

Yes, I wish to order back issues!

I Back issue ______________ $9

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Discounts (order 4+ and take 10% off!): ............................

Mail order form and

Total Enclosed: ............................

I Check or money order enclosed

Alien Microbes in Rain

he strange red rains that fell in

and 19th-century California. McCafferty

further. Unfortunately, with witnesses to

Culture Alters the Brain

Learn How to Cope,

Send $14 (incl. ship.); or for

Clairvoyant Intuitive and

For a reading, call (530) 877-3446

JUNE 19, 2008

U.S. MILITARY & COALITION

For more info, visit www.iraqbodycount.org and www.icasualties.org

t sounds like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster, but the staff at a

ducing strong electromagnetic fields,

Roman Finds of Note

or more than 500 years, scholars have

on the case, the answer might finally be within

The rediscovery of some of the pieces of the

Lupercalia was held annually on February 15.

Mythical Roman Cave Unearthed

talian archaeologists say they have found the

Getting Your Manuscript

teries Magazineand editor and art director