Random Thought

If you are of Celtic descent then you might have heard of the holiday Samuin or Samhain, which is actually Celtic New Year and was a 3 day holiday. It was during this time that Celts believed that the time between the years 'opened the door' so to speak betwixt the world of the living and the world of the dead. This meant that spirits could cross over into the world of the living and cause harm and mischief. The Celts believed that bad spirits of the dead were harmful to the living, they also believed that even the good dead needed to stay in the world of the dead, that it was not good for them to be in the world of the living. So there are several traditions that occurred during this festival, that helped celebrate the harvest, welcomed the death of the earth, and kept the spirits of the dead in their own realm. Some of the rituals and practices that were practiced across those regions that were influenced by Celtic traditions included bonfires, feasting, leaving off

Voodoo Ritual As we have seen, there are many creatures that are neither living nor dead. The number of such creatures lends to many beliefs. First, that their are many creatures that defy our understanding. Second that there is something after or more than this life. Third, that the natural and supernatural overlap each other.  So let us continue our venture into the land of the night and the realm of the undead..... We will travel to the Caribbean and the Island of Hispaniola, the country of Haiti, the land of Voodoo. Across the beautiful tropical isles of the Caribbean is a complex and intriguing mix of Christianity and the ancient religions of Africa. Voodoo is one of the major old practices of the region. Zombi, a possible origin of the word Zombie, is actually a West African deity. Another version of the origin is the use of the Kongo or Dahomey word nzambi or soul. Once mixed with Haitian Voodoo the word became zombi. According to Voodoo, the body can die one of two wa

Shapeshifters via crystalinks.com It seems that the night is full of things that we do not see in the light. And it is those things, that it seems, we have been taught to fear, through the ages. All those bumps and thumps, all those shadows and whispers, even the creaks and moans of the night send shivers down our spines. Why is it that we fear the creatures of the night? Even older than the tells of vampires and ghouls are the legends of were-creatures or shape-shifters. Creatures that by choice, design or fated curse have the power and or ability to change the form of their appearance. For those that were always shape-shifters the power to change their outward appearance is something they do at will. It seems that they usually take the form of an animal, bird or even sea creature, as suits their needs, at the moment. Those shape-shifters that seem to be merciful and or helpful seem to not take forms that would scare us. Yet, it has been known that others are not so kind. Ther

From Hector Hastings: I would like to add that there some other undead beings or creatures that roam around...I would suggest edit and add the following : Wights. Wights are not unlike skeleton warriors but they are fallen lords, dukes and such nobles who have been placed in a barrow and which their battle gear and wealth was stored with them. These barrows are protected by powerful enchantments. These nobles are more powerful than skeletons and are normally found leading groups of skeletons or zombies. Azeman. The Azeman originate from South America. They take the form of a human female during the day but at night they transform into a bat. The Azeman fed by draining the blood of their victims. Azeman are obsessed with counting, and if seeds are scattered on the floor she will stop to count them all. It is though that some of the modern vampire lore comes from the Azeman, which are South American versions of the European vampires. Banshee.Banshees are restless spirits

The Premature Burial by Antoine Wiertz One of the most prolific scares of the dark is that of encountering the undead ! The most famous of the undead is the vampire , but, they are not the only undead that lurk in our shadows and imagination. Several happenings caused the vampire to become widespread in history; not the least of which was the fact that people were accidentally burying the living. The methods for pronouncing a person dead were not accurate or reliable....matter of fact, so common was the misdiagnosis, especially, during cholera outbreaks, that a string was tied around the finger or foot of a newly buried corpse and attached to a bell above ground, so that if the person awoke and panicked they could be heard and hopefully dug up in time, giving birth to the phrases "Saved By The Bell" and "Graveyard Shift". Of the other undead roaming in the dark are ghouls and zombies, which seem not to mind the sun, unlike other undead. Ghouls are some of th

Tim Burton's Sleep Hollow It is that time of year again! The air is crisp and the leaves are turning colors. The harvest is ready and the feasts are being prepared! Do you have your pumpkins ready for carving? Are your treats handy to prevent the tricks? Are your offerings for the spirits and your ancestors your best? I hope so! Have you ever truly wondered why we do the things that we do during this time of year? Our rituals, practices, and stories and where they all come from? I do. So, I thought being the season, that we might look at how our ancients saw this time of year and how that still lingers in our current society and rituals. Why do we tell ghost stories? What did the ancients think of ghosts? What did ancients do with their dead? Why they did the things they did? What did ancients think about death? What about what happens after death? As for this time of year.... What did our ancestors think about the cycle of the seasons? What did the ancients t