Just the Facts?: Bigfoot Roaming the Cotswolds? -- Reader's Ghostly Experiences -- The Gable Film 'Dogman' Hoax

Is a Bigfoot roaming the Cotswolds?

A spooky set of huge footprints found at Mill Dene Garden in Blockley have baffled people in the Cotswolds, UK.

Melanie Aston, who teaches swimming at Mill Dene and often takes her dog for a walk in Bourton Wood on Saturday mornings, found some large unshod footprints near the toilets by the car park earlier this month.

Her size seven wellies were dwarfed by the huge prints, which she said seemed fresh.

However, she could not see anyone else around.

“They went over some really rough ground but there was quite a distance between each print almost as if they where avoiding the really wet mud,” she said.

“They went right down to where the path goes over the brook then divides into three directions, which is where I lost track. It’s really quite spooky and I’m not such a frequent visitor since.”

Mill Dene owner Wendy Dare said: “I honestly have no idea what it is. The footprints are very large.” - tewkesburyadmag

Bigfoot Casebook updated: Sightings And Encounters from 1818 to 2004

Bigfoot (Linford Mystery)

Beneath the Moors and Darker Places

**********

Not the first ghillie suit hoax

From Linda Godfrey - The recent tragic death of a Montana man killed on a highway as he tried to imitate a Bigfoot reminded me of another hoax effort: the so-called Gable films of Michigan, part one and part two. The costume of choice in both states was a ghillie suit, a stringy, head-to-toe covering hunters often wear for camouflage in the woods.

The Gable films were made by amateur video buff Mike Agrusa as a sort of homage to the cryptid known as the Michigan Dogman. Agrusa added wire coat hanger “ears” as you can see in his intentionally grainy still at left, and was at least smart enough not to step onto a busy highway as he was filmed. Continue reading at Not the first ghillie suit hoax

Check out --> 'Gable Film' Revealed As Hoax...MonsterQuest Ends It's Run and The 'Gable Film' Featured On Last 'MonsterQuest' Episode

The Michigan Dogman: Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A. (Unexplained Presents)

Monsters of Wisconsin: Mysterious Creatures in the Badger State

Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America

**********

Reader's Ghostly Experiences

I received the following email from a reader in Australia"

Hi Lon,

I thought I might relate a few experiences I have had over the years.

In 1989 I spent 9 months living at Mum's place to get back on my feet after a nasty split with my fiancée. I was in my room lying on my bed listening to the stereo when I turned my head to the right to find this ghostly face right beside my face!

It stood up and floated backward out the door into the hallway and disappeared!

I jumped off the bed and run into the kitchen where mum was preparing dinner. Are you allright? she asked. I have just seen something I said. She said I had a strange look on my face. It scared the hell out of me.

We were all sitting out in the back yard a week later when it was brought up again. My youngest brother who was 14 at the time was listening to us.

He got all excited and told us his story.

He was brushing his teeth one morning at the bathroom sink when he looked to his left into the hallway and seen an apparition. He described what he saw and it was exactly what I saw !

It was only ever seen once by my brother and myself. Looking back now it resembled my Grandmother who died in 1985. She was smiling at us just before she disappeared.

In 1992 my father died from cancer. He lived on his own as he and mum divorced when I was 9.

We went to visit him on his birthday to find him dead. He had been dead for about a week the Coroner found. I was heartbroken. I went to bed that night and woke about 2 am to find him standing at the foot of my bed! I was living alone at the time. He was standing looking very solemn at me. It scared me a lot.

A friend of mine says I may be a bit sensitive seeing these things. I don’t tell others about it because they look at me strange. I know what I have seen and believe in these things.

My Lady friend I am currently seeing has seen things at my home too. We have gone to bed for her to be awaken by something rubbing her arms and legs. I have been snoring beside her. This has happened a few times. She awoke one night to see a figure standing in the doorway. She described it to me and I showed her a photo of my dad. It was him! She has heard footsteps walking by the bathroom at night when she has been in there. I have been in bed asleep. Her jewellery goes missing quite often only to turn up a few days later. We hear noises from rapping on walls to someone knocking at the front door.

We are used to it now. It does not scare us. We keep quiet about it though because others look at you strange. As I said beore I believe in these things.

I wish to remain anonymous if you print this.

Thank you Lon.

The Australian Ghost Whisperer: The true life journey of healings, hauntings and paranormal experiences of a gifted psychic

Beyond Belief: Skepticism, Science and the Paranormal

Spirit Sisters: Australian women reveal true life stories of the paranormal

**********

Firemen rescue cow stuck in tree

The 660-pound calf, called Sparkle, was discovered in a state of distress after falling down the ravine on a farm Sheriff Park, near Penrith, Cumbria.

Fire-fighters were surprised to receive the call to rescue the 11-month-old bovine after its owner, Philip Armstrong, had noticed it missing from his farm.

The bruised animal had plunged more than 100 feet down a "rather steep" embankment of the river Leith before a tree broke its fall on Tuesday afternoon. It was only stopped from falling further by the sapling.

During the delicate four-hour rescue operation, the Pedigree dairy shorthorn heifer was sedated by vets before being winched to safety by fire crews in body armour who used specialist equipment and slings.

Mr Armstrong said that the animal had been left "sore and bruised" by the ordeal, but was otherwise unharmed.

"It was a happy ending to a very stressful afternoon," said his mother, Sandra.

It was unharmed after the ordeal and is now recovering at the farm. Three fire crews attended the incident.

"They had to wear body armour in case a stray hoof lashed out at them," said a spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

"It was extremely tired and exhausted. It was very, very still and in quite a deep state of shock.

"The vet checked the cow over and it seemed reasonably happy and relatively unscathed." - telegraph

Strange Events and More: Canadian Giants, Witches, Wizards and Other Tales (An Amazing Stories Book)

Basics of Dreams, Visions and Strange Events

Strange Tales from Ohio: True Stories of Remarkable People, Places, and Events in Ohio History

'Penelope' - Sierra Nevada Mountains

I received this correspondence on 8/28/2012...and received a follow-up last night 8/29/2012. I'm posting the unedited email:

Sir - my brother referred your email addy to me. He thought you may have an answer to what I saw this past July while camping in the Sierra Nevada Mts. near Tioga Lake, CA. My teenage son and I were camping in our RV. There were other campers in the area but not very close to us. On the 3rd night of our trip, we encountered something that neither of us can explain.

This is bear country and I know that there have been Bigfoot reports over the years. But what we saw was neither as far as we can tell. We secured all of the food and other supplies in the RV and were getting ready to go to bed. It was about 12:30 am. My son fell asleep quickly while I was getting a few things ready as we were going to leave this location later in the morning. I was looking at a map when I started to hear high-pitched screams. At first, I thought it was a coyote but it was a single scream and sounded more human-like a woman's scream. I opened the RV door and stood silent in the doorway. Once again the high-pitched scream started. This time, it woke my son. We both stood at the door as the screams continued from the direction of the mountain. After about 10 mins the screams stopped - we both went to bed.

Something startled me while I was sleeping because I woke in a panic. I looked at my watch - it was 2:40 am. Then all of a sudden that same high-pitched scream erupted outside of the RV. As it started my son jumped out of his rack and fell to the floor. I grabbed my .44 just in case. As we looked out through the windshield the moonlight was bright enough to illuminate a tall thin creature with light-colored skin. My son yelled 'Zombie!' - it did look like a female human form but the face and the rest of the body looked horrible. It reminded me of an old witch - no clothes, deformed face, long light-colored hair, long arms, and legs. I figured it stood almost 7 ft. It was walking away from the RV toward the lake. I had seen enough. I made sure everything was ready to go and drove out of there ASAP.

We ended up near Mono Lake. A few days later I was able to talk to a ranger as he walked through the camping area. He was an older guy and quite engaging. I described what we witnessed - my son also verified what we had seen. The ranger got a serious look on his face and said that over the years, something similar had been reported a few times. He said that they called it 'Penelope' but he didn't know why it had gotten that name. That's all he knew.

When I got home I searched the Internet but no information was available. My brother gave me your email addy and said you may have an idea of what it was. I'd appreciate your help - you can also call me at XXX-XXXXXXX. LR

I contacted LR by email...then talked to him last evening (8/29). I received this email later:

Hi Lon - thanks for calling. As you requested, I am including a picture that closely matches what we saw (the image on the left...Lon), though it is just the face, and the hair was much lighter. Like I said before it was very tall, with no clothes, long thin arms, and legs. You have our permission to post the email on the condition you do not release other private information. If anyone has details please forward them to me. Thanks for your help...

NOTE: I looked for 'Penelope' online with one small reference but little detail. I contacted Inyo National Forest for information...they directed me to the Mono Lake ranger station. I was able to talk to a ranger who confirmed that there were a few very odd sightings in the Sierra Nevada range and that one of these 'beings' was dubbed 'Penelope' but he was unaware of how or why the name was given. I sent out a few inquiries last evening. Today I received a short email from a folklore writer in Reno, NV that 'Penelope' was supposedly a woman who became lost in the Sierra Nevada Mts. several years ago and eventually became a flesh-eating monster. OK. Seems like we're getting into the 'urban-legend' column on this one. Well, anyway, I'd appreciate some follow-up if available...Lon

UPDATE: As dumb luck has it, I had a reference to 'Penelope' in a book I recently received from Eric Altman titled Monster Spotter's Guide to North America The brief description is similar to the information that I received from the folklore writer with a few more gruesome details. It seems 'Penelope' disembowels her victims before feasting on the remains. As well, she is supposedly responsible for a few unexplained deaths in the Sierra Nevadas. Other than that, I have no idea what LR and his son witnessed...Lon


***********

Just a note...all of 'Phantoms and Monsters' operating funds are derived from sales through the direct Amazon.com product links and donations from the readers. Your support is truly appreciated...Lon

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!

Donations can be accepted through PayPal - 'Donate' buttons are located below or on the blog or go to the PayPal homepage and send the donation to my user email - lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com.
Please help keep 'Phantoms and Monsters' a free service.

Thanks for reading 'Phantoms and Monsters'
Paypal ID - lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com

Just the Facts?: The London Trackway -- Essex Lion Farce -- You're Invited! Fall UFO Conference in Philadelphia

The London Trackway: First Publication

The London Trackway: First Publication

From Cliff Barackman: The London Trackway is a unique event in bigfooting history. It started with an unsuspecting sasquatch wandering out of the woods and onto the muddy shore of Cottage Grove Reservoir (near Eugene, OR) probably on the Saturday night/Sunday morning of Februray 11/12, 2012. The event still has not come to an end because of the observations that are continually being made of the casts that were collected at the site. Just as new insights are still being gleaned by examining sasquatch footprint casts taken decades ago, the London Tracks will be slowly giving their secrets away for years to come.

Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science

In Search of Sasquatch

Creature: Shadow of the Sasquatch

*********

The Essex lion farce

Okay, so the rumours circulated that there was a lion on the loose near Clacton in Essex. How many more stories like this are going to be followed up by droves of police officers and reported on my drama hungry papers ? It's a sorry state of affairs, and it's hysteria that makes a mockery of my research because when investigators, as usual, find no evidence of the lion king, everyone starts laughing and saying that there are no large cats roaming Britain. So let's look at the details.

Someone claimed they'd seen a lion in a field a few days ago. The story spread like wildfire, newspapers got involved, my phone started to ring, the police turned up at the location, photographs of the 'beast' began being passed around and so was born the 'Lion of Essex' legend...another unfounded scare akin to the Shooter's Hill cheetah, The Edgware Tiger, the Winchmore Hill lioness, the Sydenham leopard blah blah blah. Yep, the police had every right to investigate it as it was a matter of public safety but surely such a fuss wasn't necessary. A couple of animal trackers would have sufficed because if anyone knows anything about cats, lions do not behave in an incredibly elusive manner, lions would seek large prey and also seek a pride, and lions DO NOT inhabit the wilds of Britain, neither do tigers, jaguars or cheetahs.

There are three suggestions for the Essex lion story - 1) maybe, just maybe there had been a lion that had escaped from a zoo/private collection - or if you read some of the papers, a circus which had stopped by a few weeks previous. 2) there was no lion at all, just a bunch of witnesses who didn't have a clue what they were seeing or maybe had nothing better to do than make it up, 3) judging by a couple of reports in which witnesses described seeing a tan-coloured cat with a white chest, a puma may have been involved. Whatever the truth, if there was a lion roaming Essex - it would no doubt be used to being hand-reared, lacking excerise and keen to feast on those mutant's with their swept over fringes, white teeth and small percentage of brain cells. If a lion had been roaming Essex then the police would not have called off the search. If a lion had bene roaming Essex it would have been heard roaring on numerous occasions, would have been on the prowl for livestock, and would have left behind a few very large prints. Lions are not elusive hunters that climb trees. Lions are bloody big animals. Continue reading at kentonline

Also...The weird history of the Essex Lion and his relatives

Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild Predators

BIG CATS LOOSE IN BRITAIN

**********

South Texas mayor attacked and killed by donkey

A South Texas mayor has been found dead after apparently being attacked by a 500-pound donkey on his ranch.

The Atascosa County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that the death of Hollywood Park Mayor William "Bill" Bohlke appears to be an accident. Bohlke was 65.

Chief Deputy David Soward says Bohlke apparently was attacked Monday morning by an aggressive male donkey he kept on the ranch. His body was found Monday night during a search by deputies and relatives. A formal cause of death is pending.

"It is with great regret that we, the family of Bill Bohlke, wish to inform you of his passing last night, August 27th, 2012," said Bohlke's family in a statement. "Bill suffered a fatal injury while taking care of his prized cow herd near Pleasanton last evening."

A vigil for the mayor is planned on Monday, Sept. 3 at 7:00 p.m. CT at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, and a mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. CT at the same church the following morning.

"Bill, your mayor, dearly loved serving you, our community, and we only wish he was here to continue doing so," the family's statement said.

Soward says it's up to the family to decide what to do with the donkey.

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Phillips will serve as acting mayor of Hollywood Park, a town of about 3,000 just north of San Antonio. - WTSP

Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals

The Book of Deadly Animals

**********

Exploding meteor causes sonic boom before blowing up over North Wales

After travelling millions of miles through the galaxy, a blazing meteor finally went out with a bang above a Welsh town.

The force of the explosion at 11pm last night rattled windows, set off car alarms and woke up children.

One resident described it as “like a bomb going off”.

Amateur astronomers had watched its progress as it sped over North West England and North Wales before it blew up over Cwmbran in South Wales.

Homeowner Steve Edwards, 56, said: “There was an enormous boom – It sounded like a bomb going off.

“The force of it shook the windows in my house, woke up my children and caused car alarms to start going off in the streets.

"I’m just glad none of it landed on my roof.”

Another witness, Nathan Jones, 34, said: “I’ve never seen something so amazing in my life.

“It had a heat trail behind, it was orange and white and very bright, and also seemed very close.

"It looked like it was skimming through the atmosphere due to the curved path it was taking.”

Police and coastguards had dozens of reports of a bright flash in the sky followed by the loud bang.

Hannah Sabido, 33, who spotted the meteor from her home in Bristol, said: “It looked like a bright white ball with a long bright tail and possibly a green hue.

"It was brighter than the moon.”

Space expert Dr David Whitehouse explained that the rock was only the size of a golf ball and would have burned up as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving an incredibly bright tail.

Much larger objects which could cause a catastrophe only hit our planet once in tens of millions of years.

He said: “Scientists will now be very keen to know if it’s survived so they can try and collect it and examine it.

“As for the rest of us, we don’t have anything to fear from a meteor of this size. There’s no records of anyone having been killed by such a thing.

“Very rarely something large will come into contact with the Earth, like the one which helped the dinosaurs on their way – that was the size of Britain.

“But this meteor is a wonder of nature, something in the night sky to be admired and enjoyed.” - Mirror

**********

You're Invited! Fall UFO Conference in Philadelphia

The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce its 5th Annual 2012 Fall UFO Conference to be held Friday night September 28 and all day Saturday and Sunday September 29 and 30.

The location will be the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, 400 Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne, PA 19047 (215) 269-3417.

Join us for three full days packed with informative speakers, vendors, training and interesting discussions on today's hot topics in Ufology. On Friday afternoon there will be a UFO Investigator training class held. The evening events will start at 5 p.m. with PA MUFON State Director John Ventre speaking on "UFOs in Art and History" followed by a meet and greet cocktail hour of food and beverages with the speakers and concluding with author Frank Feschino on the 60th anniversary of the Flatwoods WV UFO case.

On Saturday, September 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., the event will continue with UFO Abduction survivor and speaker Travis Walton of the movie, Fire in the Sky; Sue Swiatek on UFOs in Virginia, Karyn Dolan on Ufology vs Paranormal; Stan Gordon on Kecksburg UFO Crash and Rob Swiatek on the 60th anniversary of the 1952 UFOs over Washington DC.

There will be a special buffet dinner with all of the speakers and keynote speaker Peter Robbins.

On Sunday, September 30, the event will continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Canadian Grant Cameron on the Evidence Cover-up; Historian Richard Dolan on UFOs in the next century; Lobbyist Stephan Bassett on Disclosure and Mark Passio on the Moral Issues Involved In The Continued Cover-Up Of Extra-Terrestrial Phenomena.

The event concludes with a never held before Q&A with Dolan-Bassett-Cameron moderated by Peter Robbins.

These speakers promise to make this an enjoyable and informative weekend. Registration starts at 8 a.m. For hotel rates and advance tickets go to www.mufonPA.com or phone John Ventre at (724)-836-1266.

Just the Facts?: Is This An Alien Corpse? -- Alien Abduction In Texas -- Help Wanted: Hangman

Is this an alien corpse?

This image was floating around the internet a few years ago...I can tell it has been enhanced (compare below). Watch the video and you be the judge...

Description: Timber logging employees working in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri find a burned alien body in some nearby brush close to their worksite. This is an enhanced photo of the viral video that came out two months ago which at the time this video was made had close to 60,000 views. Is this an alien or a burn victim? This seems like the big debate over the original video. Maybe this will help people make their decision. I was able to sharpen the image and focused longer on the photo.

Alien Corpse (Enhanced HD Photo) Found In Ozark Mountains

NOTE: Below is the original image from my archives...Lon

Alien Agenda: Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us

DARKER SIDE OF THE MOON "They" Are Watching Us!

Grey Aliens and the Harvesting of Souls: The Conspiracy to Genetically Tamper with Humanity

**********

Alien Abduction - Cedar Park, TX

Cedar Park, TX - 8/21/2012 - unedited: 1- I was at home so I went to bed around 10:30 P.M and I usually fall alseep listening to the television so I fell asleep for about thirty minutes then the television went off by itself. I thought it was weird at first so then I started hearing noises like a huming sound so I looked out my window but didnt see anything so I thought I was just hearing stuff so I went back to sleep.

2- The first time I noticed anything was around 11:12 P.M. when my bedroom door opened and I could hear something walking beside me and standing beside me and of course I had my eyes closed so I didnt open them until I started hearing something in my mind saying, "Dont be affraid. We no harm.". So thats when I started to really freak out so I opened my eyes and I could barely see two dark figures, one standing beside me on my right and the second in front of me. So I closed my eyes hoping it was a dream but then things got very real. I could feel being lifted up and being brought out back where I could see a small oval shaped craft in my backyard and another triangle craft hovering right above it just few feet higher.

3- I thought the object was an actual UFO the first time I saw it of course. It was oval in shape, had about ten windows on the front of it, the color of it was dark grey and the second craft [triangle craft] was black with small diamond shaped windows around it.

4- Like I stated in the 3rd paragraph, the first object was oval in shape, ten windows on the front side and grey. The triangle UFO was complete black with tiny diamond windows around it. I thought it was weird that the oval craft landed and the triangle craft hovered right above it.

5- My god, I could feel something for sure. I was like, terrified. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not so scared and 10 being terrified, Id have to go with 15. Once I was aboard the oval craft the only thing on my mind was, "How was I going to get out. . or am I ever going to be released...". So once I was aboard the craft it seemed just calm, I was placed on a silver table while about three beings came by me looking at me then talking. As for me, I dont know alien language so I have no idea what they were saying. Then one of the aliens came next to me and showed me this blue light then I blacked out. So I guess I was out for about twenty minutes because I awoke on the table while one of the aliens took my hand and had me step off the table and walk around. I looked all around the craft and it was just walls and rooms and windows. Nothing very interesting but I did get released about ten minutes later.

6- After being aboard the craft the suppose "leader" of the aliens, came beside me and showed me off the craft. I could hear him talking saying like, "Were sorry we terrified you. These are my students for a complete experiment. We will be back soon so do not panic.". So of course I didnt know what he meant when he said, we will be back soon so dont panic. So he showed me to the back door of my house and opened it while I stepped inside and looked back outside while the leader walked back inside the craft and took off in less then 15 seconds. Thats about it.

-Note- The first picture of my drawing is the picture of the two UFOs and the alien who took me aboard the craft. The second picture I found to be looking like the exact leader of the aliens who I saw. - MUFON CMS

High Strangeness - Hyperdimensions and the Process of Alien Abduction

Touched - Alien Abduction and the Extreme Experience Research of Dr. John Mack

Aliens Among Us: 2 Documentary Set - UFO's, Alien Abductions, Government Cover-Ups - 226 Minutes

**********

Help Wanted: Hangman and Assistant

Sri Lanka's Prison Department today will begin conducting interviews to select an executioner among over 150 prospective candidates.

The interviews will be held at the main Welikada Prison by a three-member panel, the Prisons Department said.

The Department looks to fill two posts - the hangman and an assistant- out of 178 eligible candidates selected from the vast number of applications the department received for the posts.

Sri Lanka judiciary imposes capital punishment but has not implemented the death penalty since 1976.

The government reinstated the death penalty in 2004 for murder, rape and drug trafficking following the murder of a high court judge.

Since 2000 there are 1,164 death row inmates languishing in jails waiting for execution or a final decision for commutation for execution. Some prisoners on death row at the moment have served over 15 years while waiting for their sentences to be carried out.

There are currently 357 people are in the death row in Sri Lanka's prisons. - colombopage

**********

British Civil Aviation Authority Highly Interested In Pilots' UFO Sightings

Despite the fact the UK's Ministry of Defense officially ended its UFO investigations in 2009, it appears that the British Civil Aviation Authority decided -- unbeknownst to the public -- to continue collecting reports that involved UFOs with possible flight safety issues.

"They were only interested in sightings that definitely had a bearing on aircraft or flight safety, and were no longer interested in reports from the public, who'd seen things in the sky and reported them to the Civil Aviation Authority," said David Clarke, the official UK National Archives consultant and a journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.

Clarke told the Huffington Post that the Civil Aviation Authority -- a different government department from the MoD -- kept separate records of UFO cases, "not only by the aircrew, themselves, but also anything unusual that was seen by air traffic controllers on the ground at airports."

Through the filing of Freedom of Information requests, Clarke found that the Royal Air Force specifically requested any UFO reports submitted to the Department of Transport would no longer be forwarded to the MoD.

The RAF specifically states that "members of the public who make such reports are not encouraged to believe an investigation will take place."

It's now known that British air traffic controllers have been receiving UFO reports on almost a regular basis. Continue reading at British Civil Aviation Authority Highly Interested In Pilots' UFO Sightings

UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record

UFO's Exopolitics and the New World Disorder

UFOs: The Hard Evidence, 6 DVD Special Edition

**********

Ricky D. feels left out and wants to apologize

Dyer apologizes for 2008 bigfoot hoax for the 1st time ever

Like this wasn't expected? As soon as these mouth-breathing jokers (including Biscardi) feel people aren't paying enough attention to them, they come up with another stunt or start offering excuses and apologies. In Dyer's case, it seems to me that he has a form of 'Histrionic Personality Disorder'...he wants to be the center of attention among Bigfoot enthusiasts, and feels uncomfortable when they ignore him. This guy could benefit from psychotherapy...though, he'll probably grow out of it as he gets older and gets tired of acting like an idiot...Lon

Big Foot Adult Costume Size Standard

***********

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED & APPRECIATED!

Donations can be accepted through PayPal - 'Donate' buttons are located below or on the blog or go to the PayPal homepage and send the donation to my user email - lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com.
Please help keep 'Phantoms and Monsters' a free service.

Thanks for reading 'Phantoms and Monsters'
YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED!
Paypal ID - lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com

The Newest Dybbuk Possession Rendition

This week, a new horror movie titled 'The Possession' will be released. The story is derived from Jason Haxton's book The Dibbuk Box In the movie "a young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child." Below is an excellent article describing the movie and some of the mysticism and folklore included:

'Possession' Mixes Jewish Folklore and Urban Legend

By Jim Beckerman - Supernatural possession, as we learned in "The Exorcist," can involve levitation, spinning heads, foul language, green bile. But why should Christians have all the fun?

"The Possession," a horror film that opens Friday, trades on an even older tradition: the "dybbuk" (a Yiddish word, from the Hebrew word for "cling"), a malicious spirit of the dead that, in Jewish folklore, possesses the living.

"Human beings all have the same fears, dreams, hopes and wishes," says Peninnah Schram, professor of speech and drama at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University. "That's why so many of our stories, folklore, legends and parables are really universal."

Dybbuk tales have been, in their way, a Jewish pop culture tradition, much as stories of vampires and werewolves have figured in mainstream entertainment. The Dybbuka 1914 play by Sholom Ansky, is considered one of the cornerstones of Yiddish theater; it has been adapted to film, opera and ballet. More recently, dybbuks figured in the films A Serious Man [Blu-ray] and The Unborn [Blu-ray]

"None of this is borne out in authentic Jewish scripture, or Jewish law," says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of Englewood. "It's folk stories."

But "The Possession," uniquely, is based not so much on Jewish legend as urban legend: a supposed "dybbuk box," a "haunted" wine cabinet bought at an estate sale in 2001, and advertised on eBay with a story about a dybbuk's curse that causes misfortune to anyone rash enough to own it.

The story evidently captured the imagination of producer Sam Raimi ("The Evil Dead," "The Grudge") and director Ole Bornedal. They've concocted a yarn about a young girl (Natasha Calis) who becomes obsessed with opening such a box, bought at a yard sale, and her divorced parents (Kyra Sedgwick, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who eventually turn to an exorcist (Jewish reggae star Matisyahu) as their daughter's behavior becomes increasingly strange.

"In general, the notion of dybbuks entering inanimate objects, I've never seen," says Rabbi David Kalb, director of Jewish education for the 92nd Street Y.

"There is a tradition of spirits entering animals. But I've never heard of inanimate objects. My sense is that this is pure urban legend."

There are, to this day, people who believe in dybbuks – and people who have claimed to cast them out. Kalb has heard two such stories, from the exorcists themselves. "In both cases, as the rabbis probed deeper, they uncovered serious psychological issues," he says.

One example, from the 1970s: a possessed woman who was being "choked" by the necklace she was wearing.

"The necklace had been given to her by a parent, her father, who had committed incest with her," Kalb says. "And he held her over the throat when he did that to her.

"This woman had seen social workers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, but it was only the rabbi who was able to find this in the background."

Dybbuk tales largely derive from the 16th century, Schram says, when supposedly "true" accounts were told and retold and eventually took on the color of legends. Sometimes they became cautionary tales: Dybbuks could punish people, it was said, who displayed an improperly made mezuzah, or doubted the parting of the Red Sea. "There are stories where somebody breaks a vow, and terrible consequences happen," Schram says.

But a greater number of dybbuk tales stressed the idea of the dead having unfinished business with the living. For instance, the woman wearing her father's necklace in Kalb's story. Or the spirit in the 1914 play "The Dybbuk," a dead groom who possesses the body of his bride as she is about to marry another.

"Somehow, a spirit goes into someone and is causing difficulties for them," Kalb says. "Clearly there is some kind of physical manifestation and mental anguish for someone who has a dybbuk inside them."

Interestingly, Freudian psychology – also a Jewish idea – has at its core the notion of the casting out of malign influences from the past. Did Freud have a dybbuk in the woodpile?

"One might make some parallels between the id and some kind of primitive subliminal force we can't understand," Boteach says. "A lot of what Freud wrote was influenced in some way by the Jewish tradition in which he was immersed." - northjersey

-----

In February 2011, after I read Jason Haxton's book The Dibbuk BoxI decided to investigate this phenomena.

I came across several interesting stories while reading about Jewish mysticism and rituals. I decided to look further and discovered references to the 'Dybbuk'. To my surprise, much of what is described in Judaism and the Kabbalah in relation to spirits and possession correlates directly and more precise to the spirit rescue work that I have recently undertaken. I would like to share some of this with you...

A dybbuk (pronounced "dih-buk") is the term for a wandering soul that attaches itself to a living person and controls that person's behavior to accomplish a task. The word "dybbuk" is the Hebrew word for "cleaving" or "clinging," and having a dybbuk is not always a bad thing for the human host...though, in most instances this is not the case.

In the Roman Catholic view, a person can succumb to a demon or devil that takes over their body, and the only cure is an exorcism to drive the demon out. In the Jewish faith there is no belief in demonic possession though there can be a possession of a living person by the soul of one who has left the body, but not the world. This soul is seeking a body to possess in order to take care of unfinished business.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, a bad spirit is described as attaching itself to King Saul, the first chieftain of the ancient tribes of Israel. Later, the prophet Elijah is possessed by the spirit of a dead man in an attempt to persuade the prophet into maneuvering the King into a war.

According to ancient Hebrew tradition, demons are beings not much different than humans but were created in the twilight of creation after the humans and right before the end of creation. They are neither of our world, nor of the other world, but a part of both.

The concept of the transmigration of souls developed and found serious followers during the Dark Ages, and by the 12th century it became an established part of the Kabbalah. The 16th century schools of mysticism embraced it. When Hasidism developed, the belief took final hold.

The first form is the Gilgul, which is the Hebrew word for 'rolling,' but means, in this context, the transmigration of the soul. Generally, it is represented as a natural sequence in the life of the soul and simply enters the body at birth, just as the infant is about to leave the mother's body, and prepares to live whatever normal life span has been allotted to it.

The second form of transmigration is the Dybbuk, a disembodied spirit possessing a living body that belongs to another soul. The earliest description was that they may be nonhuman demons...later it was assumed they were the spirits of persons who have died. The dybbuk may be the soul of a sinner, who wishes to escape the just punishment given to it by the 'angels of the grave' who seek to beat them, or to avoid another form of soul punishment...which is wandering the earth. A dybbuk may seek revenge for some evil that was done to it while it lived. The dybbuk may be lost and enter a body simply in order to find a rabbi who would be able send it on it's way. The living host may or may not know that a dybbuk is occupying their body. There may be torment towards the host but this depends on the intent of the possessing soul.

The third form is the Ibbur. The Hebrew translation of the word means 'impregnation.' Ibbur is the most positive form of possession, and probably the most complicated. It happens when a righteous soul decides to occupy a living person's body for a time, and joins, or spiritually 'impregnates' the existing soul. Ibbur is always temporary, and the living person may or may not know that it has taken place. Many times the living person has given consent for the Ibbur since it is always benevolent. The departed soul seeks to complete an important task, to fulfill a promise, or to perform a Mitzva (a religious duty) that can only be accomplished in the flesh.

If the dybbuk is able to encounter a rabbi while possessing a living host, then an exorcism ritual can be performed. The Jewish exorcism ritual is performed by a rabbi who has mastered practical Kabbalah. The point of the exorcism is to heal the person being possessed and the spirit doing the possessing. This is a stark contrast to the Roman Catholic exorcism that is intended to drive away the offending spirit or demon. The intent is to heal the soul that's possessing and heal the person. The ceremony is done on behalf of both.

In some cases, there is a positive aspect to a dybbuk. On occassion a spirit will seek out a person in a time of need to help. This second type of possession is called 'sod ha'ibbur,' which is Hebrew for 'mystery impregnation.' This is a good possession simply because this is a spirit guide. The spirit of someone who has struggled and overcome what you have struggled with and can't overcome will be lent to you from the spirit world to possess and stimulate you, and help you overcome misfortune and what it has been able to in its lifetime. When it's tasks are done and you've managed to achieve what you need in your life, it leaves you.

Some people reach high pinnacles of achievement and they may fall into deep depression. This can be explained as the loss of that spirit. There's a sense of loss, and it's misinterpreted as depression. If the person eventually realizes that, they can be thankful that they had a spirit guide to help them. They need to continue to lift up their own spirit for the remainder of their life.

The concept of dybbuk recognizes that our physical world and the spiritual world can intertwine for both positive and negative reasons. If those intersecting reasons are negative, there is a healing process to mend the collision so both the possessor and the possessed can move on.

NOTE: There have also been times when a dybbuk can haunt or infest an inanimate object, for example the Dibbuk Box, a supposed haunted wine box that has brought terror and regret to several owners over the years...Lon

Sources:
metro.co.uk
britannica.com
myjewishlearning.com
A Dybbuk and Other Tales of the Supernatural
learnkabbalah.com
The Dybbuk and Other Writings by S. Ansky
mythencyclopedia.com
Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism (Jewish Culture and Contexts)
ghostvillage.com
mythencyclopedia.com
Dybbuks and Jewish Women in Social History, Mysticism and Folklore
northjersey.com