Feed me Seymour…

Imagine walking thru a deep, dark jungle.  You hear a rustle, not a loud one, just a whisper.  Suddenly, a vine snakes out and wraps around your ankle.  You spy in the distance a gaping maw lined with razor teeth and realize the vine is pulling you towards it.  You grab your machete and lop off the vine and run.

There were many stories just like this one during the expedition explosion of the 1800’s.  The tales and legends that came back with explorers were often filled with danger and adventure., one of which originated as a story written by Edmund Spencer that appears in the New York World on April 26, 1874. The story follows Karl Leche (also spelled as Karl or Carl Liche in later versions of the story) a German Explorer. Karl Leche stumbles upon a sacrifice being performed by a tribe in Madagascar. This sacrifice is being fed to a plant during a ritual.

Now, while we haven’t as of yet discovered any flora friends from Little Shop of Horrors, there may be some kind of real world truth behind these fantastical rumors.

Some types of plants cannot gain enough nutrients from their environment, and so they turn to animals, gaining access to the carnivore classification. Pitcher plants, for exemple, look like a vase with a hood-like top. The edge of this hood is sweet smelling and attracts bugs and sometimes frogs. Once animals get too close, they fall in and get trapped. The pool of digestive chemicals at the bottom digest the prey.

The largest of these plants is called a Nepenthes. It’s native to Southeast Asia and has a vine that can grow up to 50 feet in length. The Nepenthes, although it usually consumes bugs, people have found animals as large as rats inside of the pitcher part of the plant. Some of these have been found to hold as much as four quarts of liquid.

In Japan the Rafflesia gets depicted as a man-eater, and even though it smells like rot and decay or the remains of a recently eaten animal, it is herbivorous.

The smell of this plant is similar to the corpse flower, which has been said to be the biggest and smellies flower on earth. When it blooms it can reach over nine feet in height, which certainly looks as if it could eat a human.  Just ask Kara, who dabbles a bit.

Our very own Panda says it best:

“Given how much is left to be explored here on Earth, who knows?  Maybe there’s something similar to the Pitcher Plant and the Venus Fly Trap that can eat people. Or something on another planet that we have yet to see”

Seeing double…

One of the oddest things I have found in the paranormal world is the idea of doppelgängers.  They hit that uncanny valley spot for me, where you know something isn’t quite right, but can’t quite place your finger on it.

A doppelgänger, double walker, is defined as an apparition or double of a living person.  Now, in the eyes of science, it’s highly probable every person has a double who they are not biologically related to.  There is a finite number of genetic combinations that affect human appearance.  In the paranormal and folklore world, there’s quite a different explanation.

One common theme is that the doppelgänger is a sign or omen of dark things to come.  If you see your double, bad fortune is supposed to follow.  This idea has evolved into an entity that can be sometimes dark, sometimes harmless, and on occasion, mischievous.  If the apparition leans towards dark matters, the objective is usually unknown.

Sometimes these twins are seen in the originals place, doing something the original would be doing.  Sometimes they’re seen from the corner of the eye.

Are they projections from another time?  Are they mimics trying to replace their originals?  Or are they simply spirits copying us?   Much like everything spooky, we can never really know, but for me, that’s part of the attraction.

Tulpa: think it, now see it?

On our episode Backrooms, we delved a bit into liminal space and posed the question, can spaces be transformed into eerie places by people’s belief, a kind of location Tulpa.  

Since I’m limited in my knowledge of the Tulpa and where it came from, you’re now joining me on my deep dive.  

A Tulpa is an idea that was born out of theosophy, mysticism, and the paranormal during the late 19th/early 20th centuries.  More specifically, it is an object or being that is brought into reality by thought.  But I’m simplifying things a bit, as I am not even close to an expert in the religions or cultures mentioned below. 

In a very select subset of Buddhism called Vajrayana, there is a concept of the emanation body from which the concept of Tulpa and thought-form sprang.  In later books, the Tulpa was divided into into three classes: forms in the shape of the person who creates them, forms that resemble objects or people and may become ensouled by nature spirits or by the dead, and forms that represent inherent qualities from the astral or mental planes, such as emotions. *

Here’s where our concept begins to go in a different direction.  A spiritualist by the name Alexandra David-Néel reported that she had witnessed Tulpas being created in Tibet and firmly believed that they could become so strong they could develop a mind of their own.  And this is where it can get dangerous as it leaves its creators control.  And this is where is morphs into what we think of when we hear the word today thanks to creepypasta stories and horror movies.

My bottom line is as per usual, I’d like to believe. There is much unknown surrounding mysticism and the more secretive or ancient parts of religious practices, and I’m not entirely convinced that there isn’t a part of our brains we’ve neglected or forgotten how to use that might tap into the paranormal or extraordinary experiences. Plus I can’t help but particularly enjoy that these things might be more real than most might be comfortable with.

Anyway, food for thought, and beyond that thought…

 (Besant, Annie; Leadbeater, C. W. (1901). "Three classes of thought-forms". Thought-Forms. The Theosophical Publishing House.).

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Jeni’s List of National Parks

There is something about great parcels of wilderness that touches a deep part of me.  I want to see them, be in them, explore the largest and smallest of flora, and witness all of the fauna.  I want to touch the monoliths of stone, the seas of sand, the cool cushion of moss, and even the sharp delicacy of the cacti.

More than almost anything though, I want to be in the places that spark stories of ancient lore, paranormal events, and especially cryptid sightings.

This is a personal list of my top places to try to wander within the National Park System.  Abroad is another story for another time.

Grand Canyon- Arizona

Even though I may not be able to legally go off trail and explore caves, I still want to feel the history of this place.  Some Pueblo tribes believe this to be where their culture began when their ancestors emerged out of the original Sipapu near the Confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River.  You can take overnight backpack trips to this mystical area, which to this day, still has a profound effect on park rangers and indigenous people alike.  There’s the added lure of mule carried day trips, which never detracts from an adventure.

Chaco Canyon- New Mexico

Chaco is a National Historical Site, which fits it into a category not quite aligning with the rest of the National Parks on this list, however, the history in this one is pretty intense.  It houses around 4000 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, covering more than 10,000 years of culture.  And the people who thrived there?  The Anasazi.  For those familiar with Indigenous history, these were the ancestors of twenty different tribes.  For those with a more paranormal slant, these are a mysterious, nearly mythological, sometimes dark, always ahead of civilization peoples.  I could repeat the thousands of paranormal events that have been reported in and around the area, along with the cryptid sightings, the extraterrestrial occurrences, or the idea of lay lines, but the digging is half the fun.  All I know is that whenever I visit one of these ancient sites, there is a profound feeling of connection and an undeniable undercurrent that everything is not as it seems, and you are walking in very mystical footprints.

Olympic National Park- Washington

First of all, Bigfoot.  We’re talking about nearly 700 documented sightings in Washington State.  I’ve been fascinated since Harry and the Hendersons, and my belief only got stronger as I aged, supported by my idolization of Jane Goodall who does, in fact, also believe.  I’m not sure there needs to be more of a reason to go anywhere, but I’ll give some anyway. Next reason, Goblin Gates.  I’d visit for the name alone, but this area also contains a description of an area of gorge that likens it to the “throat of a monster”.  How does this not make your cryptid bone itch? Boasting a temperate rainforest, the immense swath of land looks like something out of a primeval landscape.  This isn’t even including the atmosphere of magic running through the fairytale like caverns of green growth and huge waterfalls.  It might be the closest I get to the fae.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park -Tennessee

Spear finger might be one of the most intriguing witch figures since Baba Yaga.  Disguising herself as an old woman, she would lure children to her and then use her sharp, spear finger to steal their livers to eat.  This goes back to Cherokee lore, warning children not of the dangers of the wild, but rather against leaving one’s family or tribe.  She is known to haunt these mountains especially in fog and mist. Witches notwithstanding, the area is part of the Appalachian Mountains, and that alone makes this an intriguing park, given the sheer amount of lore and myth surrounding Appalachia, from cryptids, to goblins, to UFO activity.

Haleakala National Park-Hawaii

Due to my love of the ocean and scuba, you might think this one is just an excuse to get in the water, and I won’t lie, that’s a part for sure.  To my defense, there are many creepy things about the ocean and what may dwell at the depths, but Megalodon reports are not the primary drive here.  Rather, this park is often the site of ancient ghosts and incidents of Pele’s influence and guardianship of native Hawaiians and their protected lands.  Items taken from this park without authorization are often returned to park rangers from across the world due to the bad luck and hauntings that come with.  This area is integral to indigenous people's creation lore and remains a sacred space, which as if you can’t tell by now, raises a huge amount of curiosity for me.  Sacred places are sacred for a reason, and if approached with respect and a real interest to learn of the peoples who have resided there for thousands of years, these places imprint and leave a lasting impression on our psyche, and I believe, our ability to be open to the unusual.  

Octopi: Alien, or Ocean Jerk?

I have been fascinated by the octopus for as long as I can remember.  Typically, they are active at night, so I have never seen one in real life on a dive trip, because the ocean, and what might come from the depths, is terrifying when you have limited visibility. This hasn’t stopped me from cruising the PADI (professional association of diving instructors) website and resources to learn all I can about other divers experience.

As the public’s interest in the octopus increases, you can find videos of these amazingly intelligent creatures camouflaging themselves, escaping enclosures easily, being playful with divers, and even punching fish in the face just for fun.  Yes, they do that, and yes, it’s hilarious.

So, when biologists began studying the genetics of octopi, I was absolutely on board with the concept that they may contain alien DNA.  This is based on a theory called panspermia, which maintains the belief that certain aspects of life and evolution may have developed due to “seeds” of matter that came to Earth from other planets.

Here’s the thing.  Do we know what extraterrestrial DNA looks like to confirm? Clearly not.  Or at least, it’s not available to a group that’s going to publish results.  Insert my urging to watch every episode of the X-Files here just to reaffirm a governmental-alien conspiracy.  But to continue, octopi have about 10,000 more genes than a human.  They also have a large brain, a similar neural network, closed circulatory system, and eyes with an iris, retina, and lens. This isn’t odd for a mammal, but these dudes are not mammals.  Not only that, but they also experienced accelerated evolution at some point in their history.  These are all anomalies, and combined with the fact that octopi adapt and learn from their environment so easily, they do provoke the question of just where these cephalopods come from.

Overall, a theory not without its holes, but still….

 I want to believe. 

Who Said That?

White Noise….

A sound’s color is determined by the energy of the of the sound signal, aka, the speed of sound. White noise contains all the frequencies across the audible sound spectrum. In white noise, energy is equally distributed among these frequencies and so creates a steady, humming sound like an untuned radio or tv. It can mask louder sound such as voices. White noise has been the subject of several studies for its impact for sleep and concentration.

Here’s where things get spooky…

In the paranormal world, white noise has long been associated with EVP, or electronic voice phenomena. EVP is thought to be a form of paranormal communication that allows ghosts/spirits/entities to communicate verbally with the living. As EVP gained popularity, the Ghost Box, or Frank’s Box was created using a combination of white noise generator and an AM radio receiver. This apparatus sweeps back and forth thru the AM bandwidth and selects split second bits of sound. This allows for the living to ask questions and hear or record the responses from the dead.

We know our opinion, what’s yours??

There be Giants?

April 2022, Canadian TikTok creator @andykapt posted a video. The video, which went viral quickly, was the beginning of several in which Andrew Dawson investigated what he had claimed to have captured firsthand. A giant.

While first described as a person, Andrew ultimately referred to the immense figure standing on a mountain in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada as a giant. Commenters quickly also started calling it a Nephilim, which is a biblical term referring to either an actual giant humanoid or a fallen angel, depending on what denomination one subscribes to.

In the days that followed, Andrew posted more videos of his investigation that highlight the absence of the figure, a UFO, two helicopters “extracting” something from the area, military presence at the site, and discussions with locals. During a drive to an undisclosed location, he has encounter with what Andrew calls the CIA, during which is is stopped and told to turn around while attempting to get closer to the site. Later, he films a black car which had been parked around his home for several days. The car is not seen again after speeding away.

After a month and a half absence from the app, Andrew offers an “update” video claiming that all the videos had been scripted and for entertainment purposes only, however, subscribers were quick to point out that in the video, Andrew looks tense and continuously looks off camera as if someone in the room was prompting his disclaimer. In his second to last ominous short clip, he reiterates the validity of his videos in an eerily premonition-eques statement, “You might not see me post ever again. My videos weren’t, they weren’t fake.” The video was posted late May.

Less than two weeks later, on July 1st, 2022, an obituary appears in the local paper reporting on the death of father, friend, and son Andrew Dawson at the age of 34, due to unspecified causes.

None of his family or friends have come forward to speak on any of the theories surrounding his tragic passing, and thus far, the mystery remains intact.

Shaina and I have our doubts. Ultimately for me, there’s just not enough weirdness in Jasper.

Year of the Rabbit: Can you relate?

We’re currently in the year of the Rabbit, an earth sign that also represents a cautious and intellectual nature. It symbolizes empathy. In one Buddhist story, a child and old man were lost in the wilderness. The Buddha sees this, takes the form of a rabbit, creates a fire, then hops into the flames, sacrificing itself to feed the two travelers.

Now as we all know, there is very little good without some bad mixed in, and the Rabbit is no exception. They can walk on the edge of hedonism and have a darker side.

In fact, Lee Harvey Oswald joins Wang Qiang (a Chinese serial killer), P.W Botha, and Augusto Pinochet in being on the nefarious side of the Rabbit.

As Shaina says… “The zodiac is an ancient yet interesting tradition which has easy ‘rabbit holes’ to fall down”

What do you think?