NIGHT WHISPERS

[Cybermancer]

NIGHT WHISPERS

Night Whispers is a fictional 'news' blog that reports on paranormal and related events. It is based in New York but occasionally reports on things that occur elsewhere. They're not the most reputable of reporters and they often get facts wrong but they are sincere in their attempts to reveal the truth. They tend to buy into conspiracy theories and are frustrated by what they consider to be the willful ignorance of the mainstream media and scientific community.

I'll be making posts here in the guise of articles from this blog. They are intended to be RP aids and to provide seeds for BtS style adventures. There will often connections to events that are otherwise happening behind the scenes at the Lazlo.org site.

Since there is more than one reporter for the blog, I would like to open this thread up to posts/articles from others. No rules (beside the forum rules). Write an article and post it. Maybe some day I'll start an actual blog site but in the meantime this seems like a good tool to use.

[Cybermancer]

Masked Avenger Terrorises New York’s Criminals!

Yet again the mainstream media fails to deliver you the truth. Fear not gentle reader, NIGHT WHISPERS continues to bring you the stories they’re afraid to report.

Take for example the recent sightings of a masked vigilante running around New York’s dark streets. The first rumours started about nine months ago. Street people reported a man in black armor entering or leaving various storm drains around the poorer neighbourhoods. Some of these reports indicated signs that the armor had been damaged. Others said it looked pristine but no one reported any indications that the wearer was harmed.

At first, even we at NIGHT WHISPERS took this with a grain of salt. Sure we are aware of real life super heroes. These helpful if flamboyant individuals are often treated like a joke in the covertly controlled mainstream media. Most of these people patrol city streets doing good deeds and reporting to authorities signs of criminal activities. Any armor is more costume with emphasis given to form over function. What are the odds of someone actually creating a real suit of armor to fight crime on the mean streets or the hidden underworld of this city (we’ve reported before about the hidden truths found beneath our city streets).

Apparently it was only a matter of time. A reliable contact who frequents an underground club called the “Horror Whore” actually saw this individual one night. It was after close and they were headed home in the wee hours of the morning before the sun had come up. They realized they were being followed by a group of Goth kids who had been eyeing them at the club.

Scared for their safety, they started to run only to find the punks chasing her, hooting and hollering. They claim that the punks managed to herd them into an alleyway. Who knows what could have happened that day had someone else had not intervened.

A black armor clad man apparently dropped down from no where, though our contact reports that they used a barely visible in the dark line to control their descent. Not wasting time with words, this midnight avenger began clobbering our contacts would be assailants.

Our contact reports that their savoir moved like a blur and hit with the force of a Mack truck, often knocking criminal punks back several meters with just one punch. “He was tossing them around like rag dolls!”

The man’s features were concealed beneath a black helmet not unlike one worn by motorcyclists. When the last of the cowardly punks had fled the scene, the man paused to make sure our contact was unharmed. Not waiting to accept their thanks, he used his line to return to the roof of the neighbouring building. “He was like a comic book hero, but without the cape!”

It was this incident that sparked our investigation of the situation.

Unlike some fictional vigilantes, there is no known way to contact this masked (or helmeted) hero. All we could do is hit the streets, ask questions, follow leads and prey we found something juicy.

While doing this, we couldn’t help but ask ourselves questions about this individual. Beyond the obvious question of “Who are they?” was the question of “Who was supporting them?” The chance of one man being able to design and build a unique suit of armor from scratch as well as engage in the sort of intensive training required to perform the feats witnessed seem astronomically small. Not to mention the money that would be required.

Is this person testing new technologies for the government? Can we soon expect to see high tech MiB’s showing up in high tech armor and sporting gadgets? Is this a military project? Who could be behind this?

As luck would have it, I was the reporter that would first catch up to this individual. As I’ve done many times in the past, I started looking for the signs and omens that would lead me to.

In this case it was a stray dog that led me to the scene. There was just something about this dog that told me that I should follow it. Our destination turned out to be Central Park. I’ve told you before what makes the park truly special. You’d be surprised the sorts of things I’ve seen and heard of in this area.

What I saw this time was startling. There seemed to be a three way fight going on. One of the combatants I am certain was my target of inquiry. As described he wore black armor unlike anything I’d ever seen before. He also had a black tactical vest much like those worn by the military or SWAT. Perhaps not surprisingly he also wore a utility belt.

Opposing him on one side was a massive man, probably seven feet tall and nearly as wide. He was dressed in biker leathers and sported brass knuckles that were probably the size of my forearm. He missed landing a punch at the subject of this article, causing chips and splinters to fly from the tree he connected with instead.

Also in the fray were an odd pair. One was a man with a white mask and long overcoat who was also wearing black armor. With him was a red headed girl of about twelve years old. She was dressed a lot like her partner. Both moved like an experienced combat team and seemed to silently telegraph their movements to one another.

I hid behind some shrubs and took some pictures with my night vision camera. Part of me was appalled at what I was seeing. It was one thing for an adult to make the highly questionable decision to become a vigilante but to involve a minor? And yet to the cold and calculating part of my mind it made a certain amount of sense. In some of our archived articles you’ll find reports that children and adolescents often have hidden potentials. This young girls potential was merely being exploited.

Was it a mentor relationship like Batman and Robin? Was it a twisted game like we see in the movie Kick Ass between Big Daddy and Hit Girl? Was it something even more worrisome? I am left with more questions than answers.

The battle that night ended inconclusively. The lone avenger dropped some sort of smoke bomb and when it cleared, all combatants had quit the field.

What were they fighting over? What are the sides to this conflict? What is going on? Who is involved and at what levels? When did it start?

So many questions, dear readers. But fear not, I will continue to seek out the answers. With that in mind we are offering a cash reward for anyone with information on any of these individuals. And if any of them wish to actually come forward to be interviewed, we will compensate you as well as we are able. We will also happily maintain strict confidentiality.

-Cassandra Jones

[mrloucifer]

ROCK ON!

[Hibik]

I do declare this... brilliant!

[Cybermancer]

Angel Spotted?

As you know, we often report on things that the mainstream media is blind to. Far too often these reports involve things that go bump in the night with their big gnashy teeth and sharp claws. Or evil vapours that will nom-nom on your very soul!

But what about aspects of the paranormal that will save your soul?

Approximately 8 in 10 Americans believe in the existence of angels. Is that belief substantiated? We believe so.

A story came to me from an elderly couple who were spending the retirement RVing across the country. As per Murphy’s law, they broke down in the middle of no where.

Thus they were quite surprised when suddenly they discovered a pair of children outside of their RV, knocking on the door and asking to come in.

You may have heard of stories like this before. There was a sense of dread. Followed by the realization that the children had all black eyes, sort of like a shark. They started to demand to be let in and the couple felt compelled to obey but were resisting that urge.

Then in the headlights of the RV, they saw a woman approaching. They described her as, “The most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. She had ruby red hair and emerald green eyes. And the way the headlights caught her, it seemed like her shadow had wings. Somehow when we saw her, we knew that everything would be alright now.”

The woman approached the RV and walked right up to the children, unafraid of them. Apparently the same could not be said for them. “They didn’t notice her at first. Not until she was right on top of her. She was out of the light then so it we couldn’t make out her features, just her silhouette. She appeared to be scolding them.” Mr. Carson tells us.

“They acted just like young people do today.” Mrs. Carson adds. “They screamed, yelled, cursed and spit at her. Through it all she seemed to remain calm but firm with them. Finally they acted like children with their hands caught in the cookie jar. They ran off into the night, looking back occasionally to make sure she wasn’t after them.”

She then stayed with the couple until help arrived. There was no cell reception in the area and yet a tow truck just arrived out of no where. Said he’d received a call to the area and came.

The woman disappeared back into the night before the couple could thank her for her help. There were no signs of any other vehicles in the area. The tow truck driver hadn’t seen any either nor did he see their benefactor or any children..

“I remember asking her name.” Mrs. Carson says as a confused look crosses her face. “I can’t really remember it. I think she said it was Mary.”

“Yes, I think that was it.” Her husband agrees, but also looking a little confused.

They did ask her to pose for a few pictures while they were waiting and she graciously agreed. As you can see below, those pictures show only a glowing outline of a woman, as though they were of a being made of pure white light. And yet the area around her is not illuminated. Our experts assure me that the photo’s you’re seeing have not been tampered with in any way.

Angelic encounter or good Samaritan? You decide.

-Cassandra Jones

[Cybermancer]

Clown face

Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. Pretty irrational, right?

As it turns out, perhaps not.

Evidence suggests that clowns have been around at least since 2400 BCE where they served dual roles in the fifth dynasty of Egypt. They not only acted as entertainers, they were priests as well. They have been a major part of western civilization ever since.

This alone isn’t very alarming. That’s a long history of making us laugh, after all. But not all clowns want to tickle your funny bone. At least one out there has a more sinister agenda.

Our source on this story spoke with us on the condition that we kept his name a secret. He was scared, and not because he was on death row in a Texas Jail. He was scared for his very soul.

“First time I encountered it, I was just a little kid. My parents had hired a clown for my birthday party. You know, the usual thing.” He pauses to shudder before going on. “Officially it was a freak accident. All the other kids and my parents were swimming in the pool, see. So was I, but the clown, he beckoned to me. Told me he had a very special present for me. So I got out.”

It was hard to watch him relate his story. “The clown, picked up the electric light we kept on the porch. He pulled the power cord out just a bit, exposing the electrical connections and then he flipped the light on and tossed it into the pool..”

He breaks down into sobs at this point of the story. Every time, I’m told.

“They all died. The investigation later showed that the house fuses had been bypassed. Supposedly by my dad and that was what the insurance used to deny a claim. But I was just a kid. I didn’t care about that. And the clown, he wasn’t done with me yet. He whispered into my ear but it was like fire in my mind. He told me that when the cops got there I would tell them that I had accidently knocked the lamp in and killed everyone.”

“That is exactly what happened too. The cops came and I tried to tell them the truth but the clowns lies came out instead, like I was puking out his words. Later, when the fire in my mind had passed, I tried to tell everyone the truth. But they all said I was crazy. They wouldn’t listen to me. I spent a lot of time in hospitals.”

“But that was it, you know? I eventually convinced myself that the Doc’s were right. That it had never happened. But then I saw the clown again. This time it was a woman but she had the same face on. I knew it was that same clown. I KNEW IT!”

The guards look in at this point but I nod my head and let them know that it’s okay.

He goes on. “I didn’t kill those children. The Clown did. She knocked me out, dressed me up in that clown suit and then painted my face. She left me at the scene for the cops to find. I woke up to see those little bodies floating in the water and I just started screaming that the clown done it, the clown done it! Hell, I didn’t realize how I looked until one of the cops held up a mirror and I saw my face. That same damn face!”

He starts to shake. “This isn’t over. That clown is still out there. It’s still going to be killing people. And I don’t think it’s done with me either. It’ll be back. It’ll get me out of here and it will keep killing kids and blaming me. You’ll see. You’ll all see!”

And that’s when I decide to end the interview. Is he crazy? Probably. I think I would be too if I’d experienced that. Did he kill those children? Did he, somehow, become the clown? Did the fire in his brain somehow become some sort of Trojan horse virus in his mind? Or did he just have the misfortune to run into the same entity twice in his life? We may never know and perhaps, we don’t want to.

-Cassandra Jones

[Cybermancer]

Perception is Reality
Or
The Reality of Perception

“Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.”
- Michael Shermer

Back when I was in the nine to five grind I had a colleague who used to walk around all day with a clipboard. He’d walk very briskly and occasionally stop to talk with people while making notes on his pad of paper.

Even during slow downs, he was constantly touring the factory with his clipboard, making notes. His supervisors always praised him in his evaluations stating how he was a proactive go-getter who was always busy and quite visible on the floor.

I asked him what was in his notepad on day and he showed me. It was filled, page after page, with doodles.

“The secret to success in this place is to always appear as though you’re busy.” He told me with a knowing smirk. “They see you walking around with a clip board taking notes, they assume you’re busy and doing something important.”

He quickly made it into management and I went on to do other things with my life but I never forgot that lesson. It is a lesson that is quite applicable to my life as a journalist and one too often missed by my colleagues, much to my frustration. We look at a situation and if it appears a certain way, then we assume it is that way.

This is called confirmation bias. Essentially we tend to only look for and at evidence that confirms our previously held beliefs. Even when new evidence is presented, it is usually interpreted so as to be compatible with what we already know or believe to be true. This is a very powerful impulse in human beings. We can be presented with irrefutable evidence that what we believe is false and still refuse to give up our belief.

Contrary to what many claim or believe, there is no conspiracy keeping people ignorant. One simply isn’t needed. It all has to do with the rise of science. When educated people first started applying the scientific method and principles, they ran into a lot of resistance when the facts that they discovered did not correspond with the beliefs that people held.

Over time and with persistence, people came to accept the new facts (although there are notable exceptions). However as superstition gave way to investigation and fact finding. the pendulum some how swung too far in the other direction. Old truths were thrown out with the falsehoods without due consideration. All superstitions were seen as equal and as equally false. Science has been slow in giving credit it where it has always been due.

And then there is the misconception of what science actually is. Evolution, physics, astronomy, the Big Bang, mathematics, chemistry and so on are not science. They are areas of knowledge that have the scientific method applied to them or have been discovered using the scientific method. Science is not a belief system or a collection of facts. It is a way of gathering information and testing that information in order to draw conclusions.

So why hasn’t the scientific method been applied to the paranormal? Well, there was a movement a few decades to study parapsychology in universities. Unfortunately the methods used were often flawed and the results obtained were discredited, often with claims that the participants had been subject to confirmation bias. And perhaps they were. But because of these early failures, people now ‘believe’ that science is hard fact and that the paranormal is superstitious hokum and never the twain shall meet.

For several generations now we in the west have grown up being told that the old superstitions and myths are all false. Science says so (it doesn’t actually, a real scientist will only say that they are unproven or that certain aspects have been disproven). Science has become the name of a new belief system that draws on the credibility of the scientific method to substantiate itself. But a lot things that ‘science says’ is only what people say, claiming scientific backing and support.

So today people will not believe in the paranormal even when confronted with mounds of evidence of its existence. It is incompatible with their current belief system. Scientists are fearful of conducting honest investigation into the subject for fear of being discredited. That is very important in the scientific community. Even where you would think that only hard facts should matter, things like reputation, politics and even beliefs are dominant factors.

This is why I think Children are more open to the paranormal. They haven’t had their minds closed by the bias of society. They believe what they see. Anything that they see. They don’t try to explain it or rationalize it. They merely accept it. It takes an adult to tell them they are wrong, and they accept that too. They keep accepting it until finally they grow up and the bias against the paranormal is firmly in place.

So yes, there are conspiracies out there and we will continue to report on them when we discover them. But humanities collective and stubborn blindness to the supernatural is not one of them.

Remember Hanlon’s Razor.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

-Cassandra Jones

[Jasper]

Great write up. In the last article though it's "confirmation bias" not basis.

[Cybermancer]

I think it's pretty obviously a typo given the number of other times the word "bias" appears. In any case, fixed.

[Cybermancer]

Magic Weapons

I’m sure everyone has read about King Arthur’s magical sword, Excalibur. Some of you may even be aware that this was his second sword, the first being Clarent, the sword he drew from the stone. Real aficionado’s may also be able to name his dagger (Carmwennon), and his spear (Rhongomiant). There are a great many named magical weapons in myth and lore.

So what does it take to make a weapon magical and name worthy? Let’s take the Norse for example. Their common weapons were hand axes and spears. To own a sword was a status symbol that showed your wealth. Thus a sword was very special. You didn’t just name it, you recorded the battles that it was in and then you passed it on to your sons and they passed it onto their sons. In this manner the weapons gained a persona of their own.

So we know that swords were expensive, but why were they so expensive? Well the metal they were made from was a valuable commodity and trade good in its own right. Then there is the difficulty in forging a weapon, especially a sword out of steel. It was one part science and many parts art and intuition. The smith had to focus on their craft to the exclusion of all else.

The Japanese smiths took this very seriously, perhaps because the steel they had to work with was both rare and temperamental for the task they wished to bend it to. The smith would purify themselves and meditate before beginning the process of creating a sword. And no wonder, one mistake could ruin the blade and weeks of work.

So here we have these objects that from their very creation are the focus of concentration, will and ceremony. Then they move on to their owners who must care for them, may well name them and on whom their very life will depend. Then they actually use these implements of destruction to kill their opponents. How many lives are sacrificed upon their surfaces? How many deaths do they taste?

These are not the mass produced, impersonal weapons of today. These are literal extensions of their owners used to slay their enemies whose breath can be smelled and name may be known. And after knowing many battles they would be passed on to the next generation to repeat the cycle of murder and blood.

A single bad end can leave a house forever haunted. How much more so a series of emotionally charged struggles for life and death? Is it any wonder then that we have heard stories of weapons that speak to their owners? Was it merely imagination or was it the spirit of the weapon itself? Some haunted memory or fragmented essence that is birthed by a diligent smith, nurtured by an appreciative owner and then matured in battle?

There may exist out there specific ceremonies for the creation of magical weapons. There may well be obscure arcane formulas whose execution will result a blade that is special and unique. Perhaps the blades made by elves are mystical and special. If this is true then the secrets of their creation are well guarded secrets that may well be lost to us in the modern age. But it is possible, however remotely that the magic exists under our noses in museums around the world.

Perhaps in these museums they are still succoured and empowered by those who come to regard them with worshipful awe. Or perhaps they rail against their imprisonment and yearn to be held again, used against foes as in ages past.

And if our ancestors created such weapons of power in the past, how the monsters of today must rejoice that we have locked away our old defenders and no longer create weapons with such care and craftsmanship. How they must mock the cold and efficient forces of industry that strip us of spirituality, individuality and awareness of the greater world. We have eagerly done to ourselves what they could not accomplish in ages past. We are disarmed and vulnerable.

When they go bump in the night, we cower under the bed sheets and assure ourselves that they aren’t real even as we pray that the come not for us.

Who will be the King Arthur of this age if there is no Clarent to draw or Excalibur to bestow?

To quote Bonnie Tyler…

“Where have all the good men gone,”
“And where are all the gods?”
“Where’s the streetwise Hercules,”
“To fight the rise in odds?”

-Cassandra Jones

[mrloucifer]

I didn't know about the dagger and spear. Excellent write up Broheem!

[Cybermancer]

There was also Ron, the lance of King Arthur. Pridwen, his shield which was also called Wynebgwrthucher.

[mrloucifer]

Sheesh, the only weapon I've ever named is the one in my pants.

[auyl]

Sheesh, the only weapon I've ever named is the one in my pants.

You named your d20? Now THERE'S an idea!

[mrloucifer]

Oh... I've named both of my d20's.

[Cybermancer]

The Psychic Gap!

Regardless of what the government will say publicly, they are acutely aware of the paranormal. They know that psionics, magic, ghosts and supernatural predators all exist. They investigate reports of these occurrences quietly, often without the knowledge of normal agencies. Many are the reports of Men in Black investigating UFO phenomenon but they are just as active investigating other paranormal events.

Do you want to know why all those psychics you see on T.V. are flashy charlatans (except a few cagey enough to hide in plain sight)? The answer is simple. When a real psychic is discovered, the government sends its goon squads out to investigate. Sometimes psychics are just observed. Sometimes they are contacted and warned. Sometimes they just disappear.

So if our government knows about these things, what about other governments? The truth is, my dear readers, is that while our government may in fact be just as aware as we are of the supernatural world that co-exists with our own, they are far behind other governments when it comes to detecting and reacting to the paranormal. There is a Psi-Gap that has existed since the cold war and other nations continue to pull ahead of us.

Our own government has conducted research into remote viewing, dowsing for enemy tunnels in Vietnam and even used telepathy to contact submarines where traditional radios can’t reach them.

Not to be outdone, the Soviets also engaged in remote viewing and were allegedly much father along than their American and Canadian counter parts. When it came to telepathy, they didn’t stop with communicating messages to submarines. They started sending coded messages to their cosmonauts! Reports are that they discovered that cosmonauts had an easier time using telepathy in space than they did on Earth. If they figured out why, that information hasn’t leaked back to us at this time.

Nor is this the full extent of their research. I have heard credible rumours that they have reverse engineered energy weapons from alien spacecraft. They continue to recruit citizens with paranormal abilities both to deal with their own paranormal crises, not to mention to aid and abet conventional spying techniques. One person I met insisted they had even dabbled in genetic manipulation, creating mutant bear shock troopers! Though to be perfectly honest, this report may not be entirely credible.

However, they have made staggering progress in the realm of genetic research and it’s connection with the supernatural. This shows us that they have discovered that our so called genetic ‘Junk DNA’ may hold the keys to unlocking psychic abilities, regeneration and even shape-shifting abilities!

China entered the parapsychology research race a little late but had many advantages that other nations didn’t. Although their research has slowed down in recent years, they accomplished quite a bit during their foray into paranormal research and remain well ahead of us.

They have taken the approach of researching psychic abilities in children. They’ve gotten a pretty good handle on when and how psychic powers develop as part of a stage of growth. They have also learned how to help people retain their psychic abilities or even work to develop them after reaching adult hood. I am told that they have also made some major headway in reading the various types of radiation that come off an individual using psychic abilities and conversely, what radiations may effect the development of psychic powers.

I am also told that they have at least 100,000 psychic children currently in training. That’s a veritable army at their government’s disposal. What will western democracies do when these children are adults and have been indoctrinated to carry out the will of their superiors?

Great Britain may be one of the few who have a chance to stem the tide. There, parapsychology is a subset of psychology and they apply rigorous scientific procedures and controls to all of their experiments. Indeed, they are possibly more adept at discrediting charlatans than many sceptics and their associations. It is perhaps because of this serious scientific approach to the field that has allowed them to endure when parapsychology has suffered and waned in other nations.

Interest and subsequent research into the paranormal appears to happen in waves. In the sixties, it was big in the USSR. In the 70’s, America had her turn. In the 80’s, the Chinese jumped into the arena with gusto. Currently it is doing well in the UK. If shows such as Paranormal Witness and movies like Paranormal are any indication, public interest in the paranormal is again on the upswing in the USA. Perhaps then, serious research will be reignited in the near future.

Indeed, I have heard hushed whispers of an unofficial research project out of Columbia University to study interactions of the paranormal with the electromagnet spectrum. Perhaps they should contact the Chinese and see if they’re willing to share what they’ve learned. Of course Columbia is notable for a trio of ghost hunters that started out as researchers in that school during the early to mid eighties.

I can’t help but feel that paranormal research will never be treated as seriously as it deserves and that the real psychic gap isn’t between nations at all but rather between humanity and the things that go bump in the night. Maybe I’m just getting paranoid. I wonder though, what is taking place in the secret halls of our government and what they are doing to protect us from harm?

-Cassandra Jones

[mrloucifer]

I dig this Cassandra gal!

[Cybermancer]

Any requests for articles for her to write?

[mrloucifer]

Psychic Phemonenon (in general or a specific type) is always a crowd pleaser.

[Cybermancer]

I'm on it.

[Cybermancer]

You May Be Psychic (And Didn’t Even Know It)!

That’s right dear reader. You, who have never had a flash of insight in your life, who has never been to a haunted house or even experienced déjà vu, YOU may just be psychic!

There is much more to psychic ability than ESP and Carrie’s night at the prom. Many extraordinary abilities that one can train to use are psychic phenomenon. You ever read about those children who could solve complex mathematical equations in front of an audience without the aid of a computer, calculator or even an abacus? They developed the psychic part of their minds in order to be able to do that.

Did they learn to do it? Definitely. It was easier for them because they were children at the time and this is when psychic abilities most easily manifest and develop. However, even as adults we can learn to harness and develop our psychic potential.

We’ve come to take for granted that some people have eidetic memories and that other people hold seminars to teach memory ‘tricks’ to adults to allow for perfect recollection of names, numbers and so on. Likewise there are many accepted ways to learn to speed read. These things can easily be learned by adults!

From Asia we have all heard the stories of the people walking on coals and a number of other amazing physical feats, all of which can be accomplished with training. The whole concept of mind over matter and bio-feedback is well known and has received its fair share of study over the years. Again, these are abilities that people spend years developing and mastering.

Meditation has become so widely practiced and is so easily learned that many therapists now recommend it as a form of stress relief. You let out the negative energy and you take in the positive energy. I know there has been many times I have become wound up and used meditation to unwind again. It is an effective and easy to learn tool.

“But Cassandra!” I can hear the sceptics in the crowd vehemently objecting. “These things have all been studied and we understand them and the mechanisms behind them. There’s no paranormal nonsense taking place at all!” Do you want to know the difference between these psychically developed abilities and others such as clairvoyance? They have been studied and now we understand them, unlike clairvoyance which has not been exhaustively studied and is not understood.

This world we live in is guided by rules. Some such as physics and most natural laws we understand very well. Others such as psychic abilities, arcane powers and inter-dimensional interlopers we do not understand nearly as well, but there are those of us who are trying. As we increase our understanding, more and more of these things will no longer have the term para in front of normal or super in front of natural.

Those who think that science can never explain these things don’t understand what science is. Science is the study of the natural world. It is the observation of what occurs and the quantification or measurement of what is observed. These things can be observed and there has been some success in measuring them although work is still ongoing. Some, as I have shown above, have even started to gain acceptance in the scientific community and with the every day person.

And once an every day person accepts that something is possible, and that they can learn it, they find that they are able to learn it.

So what’s stopping you, dear reader?

Get out there and master your psychic potential!

Alright. Maybe it’s not as easy as all that. Perhaps you need some guidance to help you on your way. So let’s discuss some different types of psychic phenomenon. Then you can decide for yourself which ones sound like the sort of things you could master or would like to. And I’ll warn you right now, none of this is easy. Do not start this thinking you’ll get any significant results after weeks or months of practice. These things can take years to develop and some people never learn to master some of them. Despite this, they are worth pursuing because the journey is as important as the destination and on that journey you stand to learn a lot about yourself.

Let’s start with Telepathy. Also known as thought projection, this is the ability to transfer information over a distance from one person to another without using the other, known senses. Now, if you’re thinking you might become the bald headed, possibly wheel chair bound professor gathering your students to you from around the globe just be reaching into their minds, viewing their thoughts as easily as flipping on the TV and projecting cohesive thoughts, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you. That’s how it works in fiction, not the real world.

Thought projection is usually much more modest than that. It is occasionally demonstrated by using five cards and trying to determine which picture is currently being viewed. In these cases the thoughts do not come across as words or dialogue but images and impressions that the receiver must attempt to interpret correctly. Success is amplified if the sender is attuned to projecting their thoughts and the receiver is sensitive to such vibes.

As for what telepathy is, there are four kinds as identified by parapsychologists. The first is Latent Telepathy. This is the transfer of information with an observable lag time between sending and receiving.

The next kind of telepathy is called retrocognitive, precognitive or intuitive telepathy. This is the transfer of information not only through space, but through time as well. It is how mediums are able to learn so much about places such as Atlantis as our ancient ancestors reach out to us from the grave. Too bad we have never been able to warn them about the disaster which befell them but I am told they were much more proficient back then than any who live today.

Emotive telepathy is the next form of telepathy. As the name suggests it deals with the transmission and reception of emotional information. Ever wonder how your pet knows when you’re depressed? Could be telepathy!

Superconscious telepathy is the last form of telepathy. This form of telepathy involves tapping into the superconsciousness of humanity to learn from our collective wisdom. What do you think all those guys on mountain tops are trying to do? Also, I wonder what happens to our collective stupidity?

Telepathy has yet to be explained by conventional science. There were theories that it might be a measurable effect in the electromagnetic spectrum but that has since been shown to be false. However, Quantum Entanglement theory may yet pave the way for a scientific explanation. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for us in this field.

How do I recommend developing this power? You’ll have to work with a partner. Use flash cards and practice as both the sender and the receiver. When you travel away from your partner, at the end of the day send impressions of your day while meditating. Also record any impressions you feel from your partner. Both of you record those impressions and compare when you are together again. It is important however, that you do not use any other form of communication during this time or you will skew the results.

In my next article I will delve into other psychic phenomenon.

-Cassandra Jones

[mrloucifer]

DUDE! Way to deliver!

[Cybermancer]

I'll try to keep that in mind.

I haven't forgotten about this, I just haven't had a chance to add anything to it. Been busy with actual Lazlo posts instead.

[Cybermancer]

Vigilante Necromancer!

It took me awhile to come up with an appropriate title for this article. My flamboyant side wanted to open with Vigilante Witch! However, I know far too many good and decent Wiccan's to do that to them. And yet my reporting does seem to fill the Hollywood definition of witch. That is, a magic practitioner that dabbles with demonic forces.

Necromancers tend to deal with the dead but have also been known to associate with demonic forces. So that is what I have gone with. And yet even as I write this, the part of me that grew up watching such shows as "The Wizard of Oz", scream out to me, "Wicked Witch!" It is unfortunate how hard it is for childhood bias and prejudice to die.

In any case, this story is unusual. It seems that some mage with demonic connections has been fighting crime in the New York area.

A friend connected to a psychiatrist that works with the police brought this one to my attention. Apparently a boy recently confessed to an attempted murder. I can't release his name as he is a minor. Apparently he confessed because he was confronted by what the police are officially calling drug induced hallucinations. He describes them as a girl around his age with black eyes (demonic possession?) and a half man, half cat (Raksasha anyone?). The encounter really makes me think of demonic pacts.

There is more. I ran into some of the boy's gang buddies in rehab. Apparently they had a bad trip. They describe seeing a black eyed girl and a half-man/half-cat who summoned the ghosts of the dead and sent one of them to hell for a brief period of time.

A group together having the same hallucination? Maybe. Another guy having the same one hours later and blocks away with no communication between? Stretching feasibility there. That tells me that this black eyed woman and half cat-man are the common link between the encounters.

So what are they up to? Putting the fear of hell into people?

If you ask me, it sounds like another case of some idiot kid getting their hands on a grimoire and using it for what they think are good purposes, only to be corrupted in the process.

You wait, this isn't the last we've heard of this pact maker or her familiar.