Alabama Bigfoot Hunters

A family in Alabama are unhappy with a frequent visitor, Bigfoot.

The family, who reportedly have has encounters with the hairy creature since last year, are now claiming, "We know where it lives and how it travels, all we want is for someone to capture and remove it, or we will find it and kill it."

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) has done field work in the area and the local representative does agree that there is a Bigfoot in the area.

You can read the rest of the story here. 

This brings up the question; should we kill Bigfoot to prove its existence? 

There are places, including Skamania County, Washington, in which it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch, but in the majority of states, there is no such law in place. Many argue that since the animal, if it exists, would be so human-like the act of killing one could be equated with the murder of another human being. Others point out that the animal might be severely endangered, so killing one might be significantly negative for the recovery of the animals. 

But to look at the other side of the argument; 

In the history of zoology, most large mammals were categorize by the killing of a specimen and then the capture of another. Also, they argue that without a body many will continue to be skeptical of the existence. There are multiple shows where people hunt for Bigfoot in order to kill it, such as Killing Bigfoot and the 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty. 

What do you think? I see merits on both sides, but I tend to lean to the anti-killing side. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

 

Wright Patterson Airbase UFO

Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio has been connected with UFOs since the very beginning of ufology. There are many who claim that it houses parts of the Roswell UFO, the Kecksburg crash (including possible inhabitants) and the remains of one or more Bigfoot.
Basically, if it is weird, Wright Patterson has likely has it.

That being said, the connection doesn't stop there, the county that the base is in and surrounding counties generally have more numerous amounts of sightings than other parts of Ohio.

Recently, the internet has been buzzing about two different videos of an unusual object which surfaced a few days ago.

You can watch the videos here.

I think that these videos are interesting. When I watched them, I was reminded of a well known ufological phenomenon, the Black Knight Satellite.
There certainly is a similar shape between them.

What do you think? Hoax, military craft, alien ship, or mysterious ancient satellite? Let me know in the comments.

Current Politics and UFOs

Hillary Clinton, it seems that you either love her or hate her, but that doesn't change the fact that she is running for president, and has a fair chance of winning.
One of Hillary's most controversial campaign promises is if she is elected president, previously classified governmental UFO documents would be put into the light.
This claim made by Clinton has sparked much online discussion and debate.

Some have also begun to speculate about whether or not Obama will release UFO documents before Hillary has the chance. Nothing is currently confirmed and the White House is simply dodging the related inquiries, but it does seem like a plausible possibility.

You can read more about the discussion here and here.

What do you think? Should the government release any remaining UFO files? Let me know in the comments.

Favorite Websites

I wanted to write a quick post about some of my favorite paranormal, cryptozoology, or just plain weird websites. So, without further ado, here is a list of my top five favorite unexplained themed websites.

1. Phantoms and Monsters
Run by fellow blogger and researcher Lon Strickler, Phantoms and Monsters is probably one of the biggest paranormal blogs out there. Lon often posts multiple times everyday on subjects that cover every aspect of the weird. Great resource to keep around.

2. Unexplained Mysteries
Unexplained Mysteries is a new source, an encyclopedia, and a forum of the strange. Think of anything weird and it is likely somewhere on Unexplained Mysteries. It has a huge amount of forum members discussing everything from the latest Bigfoot sighting to the most recent SpaceX launch.

3. Stan Gordon's UFO Anomalies Zone
Stan Gordon is a veteran UFO and Bigfoot research, he has been working in the field for over 50 years. Stan is based in Pennsylvania, so most of the information on his website is about PA occurrences but all of them are fascinating and odd.

4. Nick Redfern's World of Whatever...
Nick Redfern is a dedicated UFO, cryptid, and Fortean researcher who is also a very prolific author of books and articles. Redfern updates his blog with new articles written by him on some very obscure and weird phenomena.

5. Tyler's Cryptozoo
Tyler is another kid who is beginning in the cryptozoology field. He has been doing it a little longer than I have. Tyler is a great writer and posts some very interesting blog entries. Definitely check his blog out.

On Wildman: Tracking Bigfoot Through History by Ronald L. Murphy, Jr: A Book Review

For most kids, Bigfoot is a fascination. It was for me and many of my fellow classmates. Although most of them eventually grew out of the obsession. I never did, and I am glad Ron Murphy didn't either.

Ron's new book, On Wildman, recently came out and I just read it today.

It was an absolute joy to read, detailed and consistently entertaining.

On Wildman focuses on Ron's journey through the deep forests and murky swamps of the world's mythologies and folklore in search of hairy man-beasts.

Ron covers nearly every aspect of the Wildman mythos. From the Greek satyrs to the English woodwose, from Shakespeare's Caliban to the Nephilim of the Bible, Ron graciously covers it all.

The book is masterfully written and pleasantly illustrated with art from various cultures throughout history.

If you are interested in Bigfoot or any of its cohorts, get this book.
If you are interested in folklore and myth of cryptids, get this book.
If you are interested in primates in myth, get this book.

Anyone even vaguely interested in the topic of cryptozoology and folklore should get this book.

It is destined to be a classic piece of cryptozoological writing.

Click here to buy the book!

Pterosaurs, Thunderbirds, and Pyncofibers

I recently reread the wonderful book Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters by Ken Gerhard and it sparked an interesting question in my mind; if, as we suspect according to paleontology, pterosaurs had pyncofibers (similar to a cross between feathers and fur) on their bodies, why do we not get more reports of anomalous birds and flying reptiles with such structures?
From what I can tell, there is no evolutionary reason for pyncofibers to have been lost through time. They would have simply improved over time.

This leaves us with a couple possibilities;

First, maybe the sightings aren't of pterosaurs. This is quite a likely possibility, animals flying through the sky can distort their appearance and maybe make them look like something one would described as pterosaurs. Places where most Thunderbird sightings occur, do have their own fair share of known large birds, Texas is an excellent example.

Second, maybe the creatures are zooforms. This is a possibility which is gaining more attention and support. Physical animals of that size remaining hidden, especially ones that fly, for so long in populated areas are extremely unlikely. Non-physical apparitions seems slightly more likely.

Thirdly, maybe what people are seeing actually are pterosaurs and I am completely wrong.

Let me know in the comments what you think!

Canada's Werewolf Hunter

On the night of April 14 and the morning of April 15, 2014 there was a full, blood moon, as well as a lunar eclipse. This created a very creepy atmosphere, which, naturally, lead to students at the University of Calgary to throw parties and generally be collage kids.

Unfortunately, the creepy atmosphere also lead another student to a different activity. Matthew de Grood murdered five students because he claimed they were werewolves.

The Canadian courts are currently ruling on the case now. You can find more details about the case here.

New Book by Cryptozoologist and Folklorist Ronald Murphy Jr.!

Ronald Murphy Jr. is a world class expert on fairies, writer, actor, and cryptozoologist extraordinaire.
He has written numerous books, both non-fiction and fictional, including On Dogman, On Mermaids, and The Unexplained World of the Chestnut Ridge.
Ron is a seasoned researcher with cryptozoological and folkloric subject. He has done extensive research for all of his books and all are extremely well written and detailed.
I am glad to call Ron my friend and associate, he has done much for the subject.

He has come out with a new book!
On Wildman: Tracking Bigfoot Through History
On Wildman is his third book in his 'On' series where he examines the cultural and mythological origins of well known figures in cryptozoology. His other two were about Mermaids and Dogman.

I ordered his new book last night and cannot wait until it comes. After I read through, I will do a review as well.

I highly recommend anything Ron has written. You can find his website here and his new book here.

The North America Dogman Project

Joedy Cook, well known and respected Bigfoot research from Ohio, has recently begun a new group focusing on research of the Dogman phenomenon.

The new group is called the North American Dogman Project and is looking for new members.
I recently joined the group and am looking forward to working with Joedy in the future.

You can find the NADP's website here.

UFOs and the EgyptAir disappearance

The disappearance of planes and Unidentified Flying Objects have a long history together. Many boats and planes which went missing in the Bermuda Triangle are supposedly related to UFOs. This is a small following among theories which state the some well known plane disasters are related to UFOs in some way.
This seems true with the recent EgyptAir plane disappearance. Two Turkish pilots reported "an unidentified object with green lights passed 2 to 3,000 feet above..." when they were 17,000 feet up.
The encounter occurred just an hour before the EgyptAir event.

You can read more details on the crash and the UFOs here.

Spiritualism

Spiritualism is the name for the rise in occult studies and attempt to contact the spirit world during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The beliefs were spread by various groups, both serious and fraudulent, that were very abundant during these times. The movement has been associated with the modern obsession with the occult and psychics. Many connected to the spiritualist movement turned out to be frauds but there were some genuinely believing groups. The movement is also considered to be the rise of psychics and fortune-tellers.

The roots of the movement can be traced to Kate and Margaret Fox, sisters who claimed that spirits were communicating with them through a series of knocks and taps but were later shown to be frauds. After the Fox sisters went public with their claim, many followed. Spiritualism was extremely popular among minorities, mainly because of their belief in equality for all. Spiritualism also claimed to be the middle grounds between religion and science, and because of this, spiritualism was demonized by most religious orthodoxies. During World War I, spiritualism gain many supporters in Europe, mainly because spiritualism supported the belief of spirits of the dead lingering. Over time, spiritualism gained a more political standing and was further frowned upon.

Spiritualism’s most popular idea was that through the right equipment and ritual, you could contact the dead. Contact was done through things such as seances, specific boxes used for communication, discussions through mediums, channeling, and automatic writing. The two best known people who were active in the spiritualist movement, either against or for, were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini.

Spiritualism is still popular today. Psychics, frauds, and ghost hunters are quite common. As many as 41% of people in the United States believe in a form of psychic abilities and as many as 35% of people in the U.S. believe in ghosts and spirits. There are many television shows that focus on the ‘adventures’ of those who appear to search for the unknown.

Sources

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Foundations of Parapsychology by Hoyt L. Edge, Robert L. Morris, John Palmer, and Joseph H. Rush

Interview With Stan Gordon

Stan Gordon is a seasoned ufologist and cryptozoologist who has worked in the field since 1965. He has three books, The Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook, Really Mysterious Pennsylvania, and Astonishing Encounters: Pennsylvania’s Unknown Creatures. He is widely considered to be the foremost authority on paranormal phenomena in Pennsylvania as well as the Kecksburg UFO crash. I met Stan over Labor Day weekend where he agreed to this interview, and again at the recent Mothman Festival, which I will be posting a summary and review of as my next post.

1. What originally inspired you to research the paranormal? How long have you been doing this?

>I was a curious youngster who had an interest in science and electronics at an early age.  By coincidence my birthday is around Halloween. In 1959, on my 10th birthday, my parents gave me an AM radio as a gift. That evening as I tuned across the radio dial, some radio shows were discussing strange events such as ghosts and flying saucers. I listened to the discussions, and while intrigued I was also skeptical of some of what I was hearing. I wanted to learn more and began many trips to the Greensburg library to read what books they had on these topics. I continued my interest and research making scrap books from news stories that appeared on these subjects.  I was 16 years old in December of 1965, when a major UFO incident occurred in a rural community called Kecksburg, about 12 miles away from where I lived.

That night as the news was breaking from around the Pittsburgh area of the UFO incident, I began to take down notes. The next day as the story appeared in local newspapers, I began to call people in the area where the incident occurred to try to obtain more details. This year will mark 50 years of my investigation into the case.

That UFO incident still remains unsolved. I have been out in the field conducting first hand investigations in the UFO phenomena and many other areas of what would be described as paranormal. In the nearly 56 years that I have been conducting this research, I have still never seen a UFO or crossed paths with Bigfoot. The thousands of witnesses I have interviewed and the physical evidence that I have seen has convinced me, however, that there remain many mysteries in this world for which we have no answers.

2. Of all the cases you have investigated, what is, in your opinion, the most significant and why?

>This is a tough question to answer as there are multitudes of UFO and Cryptid cases that I have investigated that are significant.  The case that stands out was an incident that occurred during the major UFO-Bigfoot wave of 1973. It is very involved and well documented, so I am just giving you a brief summary.  On the evening of October 25, 1973, I received a call from a state trooper from the Uniontown barracks in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. He had returned from investigating a strange incident on a farm and felt that I should send a research team to that area immediately.

About 9 PM that evening, a number of local residents observed a barn sized red sphere hovering about 100 feet in sky and dropping towards the ground. Three people went up to the pasture to investigate. They were shocked to see about 250 feet away that the object was on the ground or hovering just above it. The object now looked to be a bright white dome shape about 100 feet or more in diameter. It illuminated the area and made a loud whining sound. About 75 feet away from the observers was a barbed wire fence. Along that fence were two huge hair covered creatures with very long arms walking in their direction.

As one man fired ammunition at the beasts with a 30.06 rifle, the object suddenly just vanished, and the creatures being hit with ammo just kept walking back towards the direction from which they came with no apparent effect. The state trooper who arrived within the hour to investigate, said the area where the object had been was glowing and the farm animals would not go near it. When my team arrived during the early morning hours to investigate, some strange events took place in that area. I explain the entire case in detail in my “Silent Invasion” book. It was the case that clearly indicated that the Bigfoot and UFO phenomena is much more complex than any of us were aware of.

3. Are your files and research  concentrated simply to Pennsylvania, or have they branched out further?

>While I am interested in similar cases from surrounding states and what takes place elsewhere, my focus has been to document what has been taking place in Pennsylvania. The Keystone state has a long history of mysterious happenings, and these strange encounters continue to take place each year. This year has been very active with UFO, cryptid and other anomalistic incidents.

4. Your second book, The Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook, focuses on a wave of sightings during the seventies where Bigfoot and UFO sightings seemed to be connected, do you have any theories as to what the connection might be based on the various encounters? Do you feel that all Bigfoot sightings are connected to UFOs?

>The “Silent Invasion” book details the many mysterious events that took place from 1973 into 1974 across Pennsylvania. I began investigating Bigfoot encounters in the late 1960s. I had always felt that the initial information we had indicated that these creatures seemed to be some type of unknown animal. During the wave of the early 1970s, residents were calling the police and my research team reporting many very strange events. Some patterns of the phenomena began to emerge from widespread locations.

Observers would report a UFO sighting in a certain area and within a short time, a Bigfoot encounter would take place there as well. Sometimes it would be the reverse, with a Bigfoot sighting taking place, then a UFO encounter would occur. Then there were cases where a UFO and Bigfoot were seen together at the same time and location.

Most UFO sightings historically reported have no association with a Bigfoot encounter. And most Bigfoot incidents aren’t associated with UFO activity. Such cases of Bigfoot with UFOs  have been reported not just from Pennsylvania, but from throughout the country and other parts of the world. As I have mentioned many times in my writings, I don’t have the answers if there is a direct connection between the two phenomena. The more you look into the UFO and cryptid fields, the more it is apparent that we are dealing with a very strange, and complex phenomena.

I am not suggesting that Bigfoot is an Alien life form and that it is an occupant of a spacecraft from another world. We don’t know for sure what UFOs really are. While many sightings are explainable, some remain unexplained. There are many theories for these objects including extraterrestrial spacecraft, time and interdimensional travelers, even unknown natural phenomena. I don’t have the answers, but I keep an open mind to all possibilities.

5. You seem to, in your books, focus on cryptozoology and ufology, what are your thoughts, if you have any, on some other paranormal subjects, such as ghosts, poltergeists, psychic abilities, fairies, or werewolves?

>During many years of research I had an interest in all types of anomalistic events including most of the topics you have mentioned.  In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I was involved with cases of alleged haunted houses and ghosts. I interviewed many people who claimed to have ESP experiences. I have looked into many types of strange creature and mysterious being encounters including claims of fairies and werewolves, and discussed in my new book, “Astonishing Encounters: Pennsylvania’s Unknown Creatures.”

6. Do you have any advice for anyone who may be starting within the subject of the unusual and unexplained?

>Don’t believe everything that you read and see on the internet. Keep an open mind when researching such cases, but be objective and look for sources that might explain what took place. Associate with trained research professionals such as scientists and engineers, and utilize their expertise when evaluating mysterious claims.

All three of Stan’s books are highly recommended. He can be found here. 

Werewolves

Werewolves, the man-wolf creatures of the night, said to terrorize townspeople and consume children and sheep. Werewolves are considered to be a strictly European notion, but most cultures around the world have some concept of people transforming into animals, in the Southern United States it’s the skinwalkers, in Japan, the kitsune, and in Mesoamerica, the nagual. Stories of these shapeshifting creatures are abundant, and many continue today.

The official term for shapeshifting into a wolf is lycanthropy. Many attribute legend of werewolves to people who had the mental disorder known as Clinical Lycanthropy, a form of psychosis in which one believes themselves to be a wolf or half-wolf.

Probably the best known tale of a werewolf are the stories of the Beast of Gevaudan. Gevaudan was the name for a mountainous region in the southern part of 18th century France. The Beast showed up in June of 1764 and terrorized the small town for three years. It killed women, children, livestock--anything it could. Eventually, nearly all of France had heard of the beast, and the king sent soldiers down to kill the creature. The soldiers succeeded in killing the beast and tried to bring it back to the king but because of decay and stench they buried it in an unknown location. Many speculate that the creature was just a hyena or an oversized wolf, but there are some who still call it a werewolf.
There is an abundance of modern werewolf sightings, not just in Europe, but in America as well. Researcher Linda S. Godfrey is the recognized expert on modern werewolf sightings and has a nearly complete list of modern American encounters. She has noticed, like many cryptids, there seems to be a correlation between sighting locations and the locations of both sacred sites and military bases. Godfrey speculated that this could be because the man-wolves are protection spirits from Native American mythology. Godfrey prefers to call these creatures Dogmen or Upright-Candids, because some encounters seem to attribute a more dog-like appearance to the creatures than wolf-like. Many researchers also feel that the dogmen are most supernatural than natural, due to the nature of many encounters. Nearly everyone agrees, though, that werewolves aren’t truly men transforming into wolves.

Sources

Real Wolfmen by Linda S. Godfrey

Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology by Michael Newton

Encyclopedia of Occultism by Lewis Spence

American Monsters by Linda S. Godfrey

Paranormal Terms to Know

Everyone knows the terms “UFO” or “sea serpent”, but some of the other terms I use you may not be so familiar with. Because of this, I have compiled a short list of some terms used often in the fields of paranormal.

• Flaps- patterns of time, connected to groups of unusual encounters or happenings. Described by Loren Coleman as “an attempt to understand a grouping of reports which cluster in time, and for monster accounts, usually in a specific local.” It is worth noting that nearly all encounters with cryptids (unknown animals) or UFOs come in clusters.
• Windows- specific places that seem to act as magnets for the unusual. Commonly attributed to cryptids, UFOs, or hauntings. Often window areas serve as locations for multiple types of unusual occurrences.
• High Strangeness- there are two definitions for this term, first, encounters or reports with unexplained phenomena that seems more unusual than most reports (example, there was once an encounter with a supposed extraterrestrial which apparently gave the witness “space pancakes”). The second definition are areas that seem more unusual than normal window areas, for example, the Bermuda Triangle.
• Zooforms- literally monsters. Zooforms are technically apparition creatures that resemble animals, but the phenomena seems to include most paranormal creatures, from werewolves to vampires to the bogey-man. It is an extremely vast and complicated phenomena.
• Name Game- patterns within names of witnesses of the paranormal or names of places where paranormal encounters. Some examples of names within the game are Fayette, Dover, Decatur, and Logan.
• Waves- similar to flaps, except waves are simply the clusters of sightings while flaps are the patterns within the clusters.

Sources

Mothman and Other Encounters by Loren Coleman

Mysterious America by Loren Coleman

PSIence by Marie D. Jones

Monsters! An A-Z of Zooform Phenomena by Neil Arnold

Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds, birds of enormous size from Native American legends, were said to cause thunder and lightning just by flapping their huge wings. Could birds of this size really exist? Some researchers believe that they aren’t just legend, and that they still occupy the skies of America. Sightings have occurred throughout the United States but the majority are clustered within the Midwest.

In legends, the birds were described to be big enough to blot out the sun, but in modern times the size is described as having a wingspan between fifteen and thirty-five feet. The creature is often described as a giant bird, black in color, occasionally with a white stripe around its neck. Although most encounters fall into the above description there are some reports that give the Thunderbird a more reptilian description, similar to a pterodactyl.

There are very few reports of a Thunderbird actually interacting with a person, most are only seen in the sky from a distance. There is one exception to this, dubbed the Lawndale Incident by researchers, the witnesses actually claim a bird of gigantic proportions actually picked up a ten-year-old child and carried him for a short distance. The encounter occurred on July 15, 1977, at a family home in Lawndale, Illinois. Marlon Lowe was playing outside his home, when two large birds flew above him. One of the birds flew down to Marlon and grabbed him in its talons and carried him for several feet before letting go and flying away. The birds seemed to be frightened of, ironically, by Mrs. Lowe’s horrified screams. The birds were described as being as large as ostriches but appeared more like condors. The most significant part of the encounter is that condors are not strong enough to lift a child into the air and fly even the few feet that it did.

Since most descriptions associate condors with the Thunderbird, the most likely candidate for the Thunderbird are the extinct Teratorns. There are two known types of Teratorns, the Teratornis merriami which had a wingspan of eleven feet and the Teratornis incredibilis which had a wingspan of twenty four feet. The other likely candidate for the Thunderbird is a relict species of pterosaur, an extinct group of flying reptiles. The pterosaur theory works mainly because of the handful of sightings of reptilian Thunderbirds as well as the newly discovery of feathers on pterosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles.

So could large unknown birds roam the skies of midwest United States? What do you guys think?

Sources

Mysterious America by Loren Coleman

Cryptozoology A to Z by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark

The Encyclopedia of Monsters by Daniel Cohen

Monster Spotter’s Guide to North America by Scott Francis

Unexplained! by Jerome Clark

The Skookum Cast

Many Bigfoot enthusiasts and cryptozoologists, those who study animals not recognized by science, hail the Patterson-Gimlin film (a minute long film that shows what appears to be a large, human-like ape) as the best evidence we have for the existence of Bigfoot, but there has always been a huge amount of controversy with the film. There are even people claiming to be the person in a gorilla suit being filmed. Because of this issue, there are some who have pointed their fingers at a different piece of evidence as the most conclusive. It's known as the Skookum cast by researchers and it is thought to be made of an unknown humanoid’s buttocks, various sections of its legs and feet, knuckles, hand imprints, and an elbow.

The cast was found during a research expedition into Skookum Meadows in Washington state. The expedition was funded by the Bigfoot Research Organization (BFRO) and included a long list of specialists in various fields, a psychologist and pheromone expert, an expert tracker, a zoologist, a wilderness guide, a bait expert and a communications specialist, to name a few. The expedition began on September 16, 2000, and went until September 23. The group made “traps” in hopes of finding evidence of the creature, the traps were simply setting fruit inside a large section of mud in hopes they would attract a Bigfoot and get tracks, what they got was much better. On September 22 two of the group decided to check the traps for any prints, the first two were duds but the third and final trap had a strange set of prints that caught the eye of the researchers. It required 325 pounds of plaster cast to record the full cast.

The name “Skookum” is actually one of the many Native American words for Bigfoot like creatures. The word can be found used in the names of many places throughout Washington and Oregon. This, in fact, was the reason the BFRO chose the Skookum Meadows for the expedition.

Many scientists have tried to explain the print as nothing more than a deer laying in the mud but the cast does not appear even close to what deer body imprints look like. Anthropologist and primatologist, Jeffrey Meldrum examined the print and concluded that the print was almost definitely made by a humanoid of seven to eight feet in height. He points to the clear dermal ridges (dermal ridges are small creases in your hands and feet, such as your fingerprints) in the feet and hands, as well as the appearance of hair imprints throughout the body.

Sources

Bigfoot! by Loren Coleman

Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science by Jeff Meldrum

Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology by Michael Newton

Shadow People

Worldwide people report seeing shadowy figures, witnesses say they have an evil presence and seem to want to harm them. These figures are known as shadow people and have recently been terrorizing thousands around the world. Witnesses say the entities appear as silhouettes with no facial features or any features at all but seem to appear as male. They are described as “blacker than black” by most who’ve had the misfortune to have an encounter. The shadow people have also been reported to be wearing hats and coats on occasion. Although they are shadowy in appearance they do not appear transparent in most sightings.

Almost every encounter with one of the shadow people is accompanied with paralyzing fear which is inflicted upon the witness. Many times this fear is long lasting and stays with the person days, even months, after the encounter. Witnesses have been known to develop a fear of darkness and nighttime as well.

Shadow people are commonly reported to be seen in the witness’ bedroom, the witness wakes up suddenly and sees a silhouette standing over their bed, watching them, then the thing seemingly melts into nothingness, leaving the witness alone, and horrified. Shadow people have been reported in almost any type of setting, from museums to zoos to random hallways and outdoor gatherings.

The shadow people phenomena is significant in two ways, it is one of the most widespread paranormal phenomena and it is also one of the most interconnected paranormal phenomena. It has been linked to extraterrestrials, djinn, black eyed children, Native American spirits, ghosts, demons, and even multidimensional beings.

The shadow people phenomena is among one of the most puzzling and mysterious paranormal happenings in the world.

Sources

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Real Monsters, Gruesome Critters, and Beasts from the Darkside by Brad Steiger

The Vengeful Djinn by Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Philip J. Imbrogno

UFO-Bigfoot Connection

There seems to be two different types of Bigfoot researcher. The first, and most common, is the researcher who feels that the creature is a physical animal. The second, widely considered to be among the “fringe”, are those who feel that Bigfoot is something less physical, something potentially spectral or alien. This post is about the second group. Those who feel this way are definitely the minority, often ridiculed or ignored. They are often dismissed along with the data they present.

Probably the best known researcher into this idea is Stan Gordon. I actually interviewed Stan earlier this year, the interview is here, on my blog. Stan has been researching the unusual and paranormal for over 50 years. One of the best pieces of evidence that supports Stan’s case is his documentation of the Bigfoot-UFO Pennsylvania Wave of 1973 and 1974.

The wave, like every mass of sightings, started slowly with some “normal” sightings, and the slowly build up into containing some of the most unusual encounters ever documented. You can find a complete documentation of the story in Stan’s book Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook. I won’t go over the entire story of the wave but I will briefly describe my favorite encounter.

The encounter took place on October 25, 1973 near Uniontown, PA. Around 9 at night, the witness and his wife saw a very large, red, glowing sphere in the sky, as they were driving home. When they reached their house, they found their family members watching the light. The witness decided to go to a neighbors to try and get a better look. He and two neighbors investigated further by heading to where the object had landed. The object was found in the middle of a field, now green and dome-shaped. As the three men are looking at the dome, two large, hairy ape-like figures are seen walking along the field’s fence. The beings then climb over the fence and start heading toward the dome. The witnesses start to fire with the guns they brought with them, but the creatures appeared unharmed. As soon and the gunfire began the dome disappears before their eyes. The beings began to walk away the other way. Later, the witnesses claimed they were sure that they hit the creatures with the gunfire.

The report above is only one of hundreds of related incidents. What do you guys think? Do you think that there might be a connection? Or is this all just a bunch of baloney? Tell me in the comments.

Sources

Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook by Stan Gordon

Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America by Loren Coleman

The Unidentified by Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman

Creatures of the Outer Edge by Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman

- See more at: http://paranormal-101.com/2015/11/19/the-ufo-bigfoot-connection/#sthash.1DQwH3yc.dpuf

New Rash of Werewolf Sightings in Britain

The cryptozoological community has seems to have become obsessed with sightings of werewolves, renamed 'Dogman' for a more broad moniker. Books, documentaries, and even a symposium have emerged from the recent excitement. 

New sightings of such creatures have started to emerge with more frequency, and they are being taken more seriously. 

The most recent set of sightings of bipedal wolf-like creatures have come out of Hull, East Yorkshire in England.

This 'flap' of sightings began in the late fall of last year when a witness claimed to have encountered a tall, dark dog-like creature that was walking on its hind legs. 

Many of the sightings, including the one above, have happened around the Barmston Drain, a channel dating back to 1798, and the industrial areas around the Drain. 

One of the witnesses also claimed that she saw one of the creatures walking with its hind-legs and all fours; “It was stood upright one moment. The next it was down on all fours running like a dog. I was terrified. It bounded along on all fours, then stopped and reared up on to its back legs, before running down the embankment towards the water. It vaulted 30ft over to the other side and vanished up the embankment and over a wall into some allotments.”

There seems to be an old history of bipedal wolves in East Yorkshire. There is an old legend of a wolf creature which had very bad breath, known as 'Old Stinker'. 

You can read the rest of the story here. 

Bigfoot Touches Witness's Vehicle in Fayette, Pennsylvania

Fayette County, Pennsylvania is a hot spot of the weird. Everything from strange cats, to Bigfoot, to UFOs are frequently seen there. Recently, an interesting new report has emerged from the area.
Four days ago an anonymous witness contacted Jim Brown, a researcher of the unexplained, about an encounter with two unusual, large creatures.
The encounter was five days ago and has garnered some attention for an interesting aspect of the report, one of the creatures actually touched the witness's vehicle.
The full report is on Pennsylvania based researcher Stan Gordon's website. You can find it here.

This is not the only time a Bigfoot creature has physically interacted with the vehicle of the witness in Pennsylvania.
Stan Gordon discusses an unusual encounter in his first book, Really Mysterious Pennsylvania where the witness's car actually was damaged by a tall, white colored, ape-like creature.
The book is highly recommended, you can buy it here.

Early Sightings of Slenderman

The Internet seems to be abuzz about sightings of tall, thin men, garbed in all black, for the past few years. Such a creature has been dubbed ‘Slenderman’ and is the subject of many fictional short stories known as ‘Creepypasta’. While many simply dismiss claimed encounters as kids with overactive imaginations which are fueled by the mass of stories, there are some researchers who have taken a more serious look at possible encounters. There is a common theory that Slenderman is a thought form (for information about thought forms, click the link here)

One of the most interesting parts of the Slenderman enigma is that some have connected him to various stories and creatures throughout world mythology. One only needs to do a quick search and they would find a multitude of information on mythological creatures that Slenderman is similar to.

I am including two stories, both from the late 1800's, of creatures which seem like relatives of the Slenderman. Both are courteously provided through Albert Rosales’ extensive database, he can be found here.

Location. East Moorestown, New Jersey

Date: October 1885 Time: night

There were reported sightings of an apparitional figure by trainmen and others near the East Moorestown station. On one occasion startled members of a train crew thought they had hit someone walking along the track, only to find no trace of the ostensible victim. “Ignorant to this affair, Mrs. Cassidy, an intelligent lady of Moorestown, and her sister, walked over the track at this point a few nights after. She said yesterday, ‘We were walking slowly along, and I was never thinking of ghosts. I suddenly cast my eyes to the right and cried out: ‘Oh my! Look there. What is that?, and my blood stopped in my veins and I was paralyzed with fear, for right in front of me stood a tall, thin figure, dressed in black, with a crape veil over its face. It could not have come in that door there and must have been nearly seven feet tall. My sister said, “Oh that is some widow,’ but it suddenly whirled away with a whizzing noise like pheasants make when they rise and fly away. Then my sister was frightened and we both went down town. I met my brother and told him about it. He said we were cowards, but came back with us to the place we saw the ghost. It was quite light, as the moon was just breaking, through the clouds. “When we arrived at the place my brother saw it too, and started to run after it, but it suddenly vanished. It did not seem to have any feet, and though I don’t believe in ghost, it was the queerest looking thing I ever saw.”

Tom Cassidy, Louis Certain, Tom Morany and William Budd, four incredulous citizens concluded to ferret out the mystery and bravely face the foe. Friday night, after coming from their work on the railroad, they visited the haunted spot, determined to shoot the rascal who would penetrate such a humbug on the community. Tom Cassidy described their meeting with the ghost thus: “We were walking along the road, not thinking of the thing just then, when a tall, thin form, too large to be a man, stood in front of us. It was dressed in woman’s clothes and its face was craped. It wore something on its legs that looked like gum boots and its tall form swayed to and fro, like the boughs of trees when the wind blows through them, and made a similar noise. Louis Certain yelled out, “My God what is that ghost?” Then Bill Budd drew a revolver, and he ran a square following it. He could not get nearer than ten yards to it, and when he thought he was gaining on it, it suddenly disappeared in the woods. The strangest part of the affair was that the ghost ran along the sandy road and when we afterward examined the road not a track or trace of one could be found.” William Budd said, “I am a very fast runner, but I couldn’t keep up to that thing. I don’t believe it is human, for it does not run like a man. I wanted to fire at it when it ran away from me, but the other fellows told me not to shoot, and then when I was going to draw the infernal thing disappeared. I never did believe in ghosts but that is one.” One man said: “John Dargan’s horse saw it on the road, near Gillingham’s house, on Thursday night, and frightened at it. People say they cannot get a horse in Gilligham’s stable on account of it. Their house is empty and some think it stays there.” Isaac said he saw it come out of Gillingham’s yard and it looked like a man seven feet tall. He passed it and it disappeared, but he was certain it was not a human being.The ghost has been seen at various times by different people along the track, and all bear testimony to its great size, its somber appearance and the whizzing noise it makes as it sails along. Large crowds have congregated to see the mystery, but it generally appears when only three or four are present. Some of the citizens say that just two years ago a similar apparition clothed in white was seen at the same place. It manifested itself to a great many in the community and some think it but a reappearance of the old ghost, clothed in black.

Source: Jerome Clark IUR summer 2003

And here is another report, in which multiple creatures are seen:

Location. Fredrikstad, Norway 

Date: late June 1881 Time: late evening

The witness lived in a house close to an old church in Fredrikstad and worked in western Fredrikstad and would return home in the evening; it was often quite late before returning home, as it was a long way to walk. Then one evening a few days after midsummer, he was sitting together with his wife next to the window eating a meal when they suddenly saw several completely black human-looking creatures standing outside the church gate, on the road that went past the church wall. He thought these figures were strange-looking and his wife thought the same, but thought no further on the matter at the time, as the road was usually well travelled by both driving and walking people. But their attention was attracted by these creature’s strange movements and appearance. They were all of equal height and very thin, a long smock hid their feet. They had small heads without any head-dress or gear and their arms were held straight forward on all of them which made it look like they had only one arm. They seemed to play and dance with each other, going back and forth, ‘compared to the movements of the northern lights on a winter’s light’. Stunned he asked his wife what kind of strange people were these, but she didn’t answer she just stared. Suddenly and in an instant they all disappeared at the same time appearing to walk directly into the church wall, the witness estimated that there must have been 10 to 12 figures. A few moments’ later three more appeared again on the road, making the same movements as the first ones, and disappeared on the same spot on the wall, and they never saw them again. It had been rather light outside and it happened relatively close to the witnesses so they were convinced that it had not been a trick of the light or confusion. The incident lasted about 10 minutes.

Source: Ole Jonny Braenne in Magonia exchange list, quoting “Spokelser” (Ghosts) 1913, pages 10-11

I think that these reports, and others like them, are possibly their own phenomena which has gone unnoticed so far. This could be an important addition to the realm of the paranormal. For more information on Slenderman, check out Slenderman: From Fiction to Fact by Rev. Robin Swope.

What do you think? Tell me in the comments!

Thought Forms

Throughout the world there are beliefs pertaining to the power of thought, the most abundant idea is the possibility of ‘thought-forms’. Thought-forms are a popular idea between many occult researchers and scholars. The idea behind a thought-form is simple, they are exactly as they sound, a kind of creature, force, or object brought into existence purely through the power of one’s mind. There are numerous accounts of encounters with the paranormal and phenomena that could potentially be explained through the unconscious  thought-forms. Some examples of this are poltergeists, some cryptids, ghosts, and UFOs/extraterrestrials.

Thought-forms are generally said to be created through extreme concentration and focus on whatever it is said person or persons want to be brought into existence, often times, according to legend, the creation ends disastrously for all those involved. Unconscious thought-form creation is slightly more complicated, though never mentioned in any belief system or myth, some theorize if enough people believe in the existence of the same thing, eventually it will come into existence, for example, after the first Bigfoot prints were popularized, the idea of a large ape-like creature exploded, even after the prints were admitted to be fakes sightings of Bigfoot persist, because of this, some think that the immense belief in the creature literally brought it into existence.

The best known example of thought-forms in myth, and where most modern ideas within the subject of thought-forms originate from, comes from the ideology of the Tibetan monks. The monks believe that if you meditate and fast in a specific way, you can potentially bring to existence, a tulpa. Tulpas are specialized thought-forms, they seem to require specific rituals to bring forth, but afterwards, they follow their creator’s commands. Tulpas also begin as invisible to all other than their creator, but as they gain strength, they are able to be seen by others. There are also accounts of tulpas becoming strong enough to develop their own will and break free from the commands of their creator.

There are many issues with the existence or possibility of thought-forms, but many occultists claim that somehow, thought-forms are able to break the laws of physics to come into existence.

What do you think? Could thought-forms explain some or all paranormal phenomena? Or is this all superstitious crap? Tell me in the comments

Sources

Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical; and Paranormal Experience by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

The Directory of Possibilities edited by Colin Wilson

The Encyclopedia of Ghost and Spirits by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

Green Fireballs

When you think of a UFO, you probably think of a shiny, metal spacecraft in the shape of a disc. That is what is portrayed as the “classic” UFO, but interestingly enough, most UFO sightings are simply moving lights that have an unknown origin. One case of these strange sky lights is known as the Green Fireball Wave of 1948-1951.

Green fireballs are literally what they sound like--giant, green, round objects that appear to be on fire. The fireballs were seen throughout the southwestern United States, although they seemed to cluster in New Mexico. The first known sighting of the fireballs was on December 5, 1948. The objects were seen twice by two pilots who were flying over New Mexico, 22 minutes apart. Many just shrugged the encounter as a meteor, but the witnesses insisted it was not a meteor. The military was more concerned.

The next day, the Air Force formed a study of the fireballs. Two of the investigators encountered another fireball under similar circumstances as the two pilots. The Air Force then contacted Lincoln La Paz, a well known expert on meteors, to consult on the study. La Paz later encountered one himself and concluded, due to the lack of speed and sound, that the fireballs were not, in fact, meteors.

After study of the atmosphere from the places where encounters happened, La Paz found that there was an unexplained amount of copper particles in the atmosphere. La Paz said that this was more proof that the fireballs weren’t meteors, because there is no evidence showing copper particles coming from meteors.

Eventually the study decided to try and photograph the objects. Project Sparkle came from this, the official title for the attempt to photograph the fireballs. Due to lack of funding and equipment failure resulting in no pictures, Project Sparkle was shut down. Those who were involved speculated from their observations that the objects weren’t natural but were artificially made, some say by extraterrestrial craft.

Unusual lights are still seen in the sky today, the most famous being the Marfa Lights in Texas and the Naga Fireballs seen above the Mekong River in Thailand.

Sources

Strange and Unusual Phenomena by Jerome Clark and Nancy Pear

The UFO Encyclopedia by Jerome Clark

How Can Cryptids Stay Hidden?

When discussing cryptids, such as Bigfoot or Mothman, I seem to be faced with the same question, time and time again. This question seems simple but could really be quite complex if you really think about it. The question is, “If these creatures exist, how do they stay hidden against hundreds of people looking for them?”

There are many answers to this question, and which answer you use normally depends on your point of view on the specific cryptid or type of cryptid in question. I will briefly explain the three major answers to the question.

The first answer is nothing more than trying to show that there are still plenty of areas not properly explored by man, or are so vast and inaccessible that it gives large animals a fair amount of living space without needing to stray into more densely populated areas. This is normally used by believers in the specific cryptids existence or at least those who are open to the possibility.

The second is simply that the cryptid doesn’t exist and that sightings are simply nothing more than misidentifications or flatout fabrications. Thus there is no ‘real’ animal to be found. Most professional debunkers use this for nearly everything.

The third answer seems to divulge into the very strange, it can be summed up in two words, multidimensional beings. This idea has seemed to grow in popularity and has a large number of supporters. Basically those who support this idea think that since most cryptid encounters seem to have many paranormal parallels to it, the creatures most likely come from another dimension or something similar. This idea seems more logical for some cryptids but not for most of them.

Sources

Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology by Michael Newton

Cryptozoology A to Z by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark

The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings by John A. Keel

Fear the Djinn

“If you fear one thing in life, fear the djinn.” This is the message on the back cover of Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s groundbreaking book, The Vengeful Djinn, coauthored by Philip J. Imbrogno. In the book the authors explain the basics within the world of the djinn and what they could be doing in the world of today. So what are the djinn? And why are they so alarming to many occult scholars and researchers?

According to Islamic legend, the djinn are a race of interdimensional beings, born of a smokeless fire, who have nearly endless amounts of power. It is said that the djinn have the ability to shapeshift into any form, can fly and teleport, are able to become invisible, have super speed and strength, can influence thoughts and dreams, and are able to possess people. They almost sound like super villains. It is said that while the djinn aren’t evil they are certainly tricksters, and their tricks may not be the most pleasant.

The djinn were said to be the original inhabitants of the Earth, but eventually they enraged Allah, for when he created man, Iblis, the leader of the djinn, protested Allah’s commandment to bow before Adam, the first man. This story has been repeated as the Christian story of the fall of Lucifer, it is considered by many scholars that Lucifer and Iblis were the same being. Allah, enraged over the disobedience, condemned Iblis and his djinn to another dimension.

Many occult scholars are alarmed by the djinn for two reasons, because the djinn are obviously more powerful than humans and they want their world back, and second because they can be used to explain virtually any unusual happening. Guiley drew significant parallels between the djinn and fairies, extraterrestrials, UFOs, ultraterrestrials, cryptids, shadow people, ghosts, and even poltergeists.

So what do you think? Are the djinn as scary as some think? Or is this all just superstition and needless fear? Tell me in the comments.

Sources

The Vengeful Djinn by Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Philip J. Imbrogno

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology by Rosemary Ellen Guiley

A Field Guide to Demons, Vampires, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack

An Encyclopedia of Occultism by Lewis Spence

Real Vampires, Night Stalkers, and Creatures from the Darkside by Brad Steiger