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HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!

TAROT CARD READING

I admit, I don’t know much about Tarot Cards. The concept and idea fascinates me. But anything and everything supernatural fascinates me. I have been tempted to buy a deck several times, but have always resisted the urge because of fear basically. What if I bought them and screwed them up? I don’t even know if that’s possible, but I don’t want to take the chance either. But what if I bought them, did it right and got a scary reading for the future or something? Honestly, I think I’d rather not know.

In preparation for this blog, I visited a free online Tarot reading at Tarot Lotus, http://www.free-tarot-reading.net/. I did this in fun, because I am not sure I believe in a tarot reading that is computer generated, but I will not discount it either. There are forces at work in this world that are way beyond my knowledge and understanding. And I was able to relate almost every card to my question. So, accurate or not? What do you think? I would love to hear how accurate you think it is.

Here’s how it went

First off, I was supposed to focus on my question while quieting my mind. No easy task when there are 4 boys in the house at that time. ;-) I did the best I could and asked about the future of my books. This is what I got:

Strength card: It predicts that regardless of my past challenges, I will find not only the strength, but also the courage, to succeed. It went on to say that if I was looking to overcome a bad habit, now was a good time to do it. I’m thinking my obsession with the television show Supernatural and my fellow Bust Dean Outta Hell Brigadiers does NOT count because I’m not looking to overcome that at all and do not consider it a bad habit. I’m sure my husband would disagree. ;-) But, since this reading was about my books, the only bad habit I can think of is my inability to stick to a strict writing schedule. I also tend to allow myself to become distracted easily. So, maybe now is a good time to set aside a couple of hours each day to write at a particular time. I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to tell the world and life to take a flying leap during those hours. *shrugs* Any suggestions are extremely appreciated?

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The Hermit card: It suggested that I want to know what to do at this time and that I felt somewhat lonely. LOL! Lonely? I’m rarely lonely and I often would prefer more alone time. I tell my good friend that being with people over-stimulates me. I don’t mean this in a bad way, I love people, but I need that downtime of being alone to reboot, so to speak. I could probably thrive as a literal hermit at times. Sad, I know, but at least I know myself this well. So, I’m wondering how does this apply to my books? The only thing I can think of is I’m not listening to the voices in my head (my characters), but instead I’ve been ignoring them and putting them aside for the numerous daily distractions of life. So, yeah, I guess in that respect, I do feel lonely. I actually feel better, more focused, and more alert and I’m a much happier person when I’m writing. It’s kind of like exercise…so, why do I deny it from my life?

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The Temperance Card: It suggested that I was afraid that the harmony in my relationship or life is not going to last. Harmony? Are they serious? The cards obviously do not know my life. Harmony does not reign in my house among my relationships or life. I certainly do not worry that a rival is going to disrupt my household. It did say that I needed to be patient because life would soon have normalcy again. Yeah, right. I have two boys actively involved in sports, not counting the boys in the neighborhood that visit daily, so my life hasn’t resembled normal in ten years. How harmony relates to my writing and books stumps me. I’m open to suggestions and ideas though. Maybe it means I'll get back to the harmony of writing soon.

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The Hierophant Card: It tells me that help is here. YAY. But I have to ask for it. Bummer! I’m not so good at asking for help. If I ask for help, then I really should have asked for help weeks ago. I don’t like bothering people with my troubles, so tend to bottle them up and keep them inside until I burst with the need for help. It goes on to say that if I’m anxious about making the correct decision then I know someone that has the right moral fiber to help. That’s pretty cool, don’t you think? It suggested I could receive counsel and honesty from a teacher (hmm…okay, gotta think about who this could be), pastor (LOL, he’d kick me out of the church if he knew how demoralized I am) or parent (my parents are too critical as it is at times, so don’t think I’m asking for advice from them), or anyone else I might highly respect (that is actually doable). Now, as it relates to my writing and books, I do actually ask for help. My friend, Bridgette, is a creative genius. Too bad she doesn’t put that to use in the written word, but she’s an awesome source of help! Thanks, girl! You’re awesome and I’m so happy to have you!

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The Star card: This cards means that I am in a period of disturbance and stress and that I am afraid and cynical that all my hopes and dreams will be dashed. Um…who doesn’t suffer from this a little? Especially if they really want to succeed at a life-long dream, like with my writing? While this may sound negative, the card went on to say that any of the bad luck I’ve been having (and I’ve had a lot lately, which is unusual really because my life tends to rock along without any major upheaval) is primarily down to your self-doubt and negativity. (Not sure how this is viable, since my bad luck has been more centered toward house and children.) It encouraged me to have faith that my luck will change. Thank you! Best news I’ve had in a while.

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The Empress Card: It tells me that now is a fertile and creative time. Woohoo!! I need a creative and fertile time! I am to expect only the best if I’m contemplating starting a creative mission. Hmm…just so happens I have three going on at the moment...my MLM Anthology Where the Road to Hell Begins, A Kiss of DragonBlood and Demon Eyes. So, I need all the fertile creativity I can get! Okay, so the card goes on to tell me that this is a time of wealth, pleasure, happiness and encouragement, with best of all, a solid underpinning for future progress. WOW! I am loving this card. Can I sleep with this one under my pillow and receive a double dose of it? Anyone know?

So, that was my reading. What’d you think? Any suggestions for me? I recommend you take the plunge and visit Lotus Tarot at http://www.free-tarot-reading.net/ and get your own personal reading. Whether you believe in it or not, it was fun.

(Note: All photos were snagged from Google Images. No copyright infringement was intended, but photos were used only as visual aides.)

Urban Legends

I watched a show not too long ago about urban legends. They gave the story and then told us if it was fact or fiction. This is one of those stories that while true, gives me the southern heebie-jeebies. *shudders*

A couple checks into a hotel room and the air conditioner is not working, so they contact the front desk and are promptly given another room. Upon entering the second room, they immediately smell a strange odor. They search the room, under the bed, in the closet, everywhere they can think of, but can find nothing. The odor is so strong, the woman cannot stay in the room, so they decide to go eat instead of contacting the front office again because the woman doesn’t want to bother them a third time.

I needed a time out here. The smell is awful and all they can think to do is go eat? *makes a WTF face* Seriously? This has got to be made up, right? I don’t know about you guys, but the smell of stink doesn’t typically make me want to eat. But I digress...

When they return, the smell is not any better, but they tough it out and go to sleep. What?!?! I’m thinking they’re freaking crazy at this point! Who could sleep in a room that is so smelly it makes them want to gag? *shakes head at stupidity*

They later learn that a dead body was stuffed into the mattress beneath them!!

Jesus H. Christ! I’m rubbing my arms at this point, like I have bugs crawling all over me and thinking of all the times I’ve slept in a hotel room. None of them were stinky, thankfully.
According to the show, the woman needed counseling after learning this. I would think the hell so. I'd need to be scrubbed and bio-sanitized too!

This story gives me a sick feeling to my stomach. I'm sure you are thinking, then why am I sharing it with you all? I am morbid, maybe? ;-) Seriously, though, knowledge is information and if you ever check into a hotel room with a funny smell, I wanted you to be armed with the possibility of a rotting corpse beneath your mattress so you wouldn’t delay in notifying the front desk and demanding a new room.

I can’t understand why they wouldn’t want to bother management again. If the odor was as bad as they say it was—and let’s face it, although I’ve never smelled a rotting human corpse, I have certainly smelled a rotting animal corpse and it is very odorous—how could they sleep in the room? This was a little extreme in the category of not wanting to bother or inconvenience someone else.

I did a little bit of research on this topic and found that it has happened in multiple states…Las Vegas, NV, Atlantic City, NJ, Kansas City, MO, and more than once in California and Florida. Instead of a “hell, yeah”, can I have a “big fat, freaking, Oh My God, YIKES!”? To know this occurred more than once, honestly leaves me mystified. You want to know what’s even stranger or weirder on my part? Seriously, I must be sick in the head to even be thinking it. I keep thinking that I hope they didn’t get naughty on that bed with the corpse beneath them. Eekk!

So, tell me what do you think? Are you familiar with this Urban Legend? If so, does yours differ in any way whatsoever?

Are You Superstitious...

Are you superstitious? Growing up in the South, superstitions have plagued my life. Do you believe in superstitions? Me, I don’t particularly think of myself as superstitious and typically scoff at them. I do, however, have a few that we practice in my home because my husband does believe in them. Which is truly crazy because this man does not believe in the supernatural, anything paranormal or in aliens from outer space. Oh, no, his faith lies in the facts of superstitions! His grandparents and his mother have spoonfed him superstitions all of his life.

So, here are a few superstitions that I could think of and how they got started. I found it interesting. I hope you will too.

1. We cannot wash clothes on New Year’s Day because if we do, my husband says we will wash someone out of our life. I scoffed at this one for many years, but typically we were too busy on New Year’s Day for me to actually test the theory and wash clothes. Not that I want to wash someone out of my life—well, maybe I can think of one or two, but I don’t think I get to pick the recipient. *snaps fingers* Too bad. I'm just kidding...a little. ;-) So, just my luck that the first New Year’s Day that I actually washed clothes, my husband’s grandmother died in October that year. That was in 1990. I haven’t washed again on New Year’s Day until this year, 2008. Forgetting my husband’s fanatical belief in this particular superstition, I put on a load of towels and it was in the rinse cycle by the time he realized what I was doing. He stopped the wash and muttered something about hopefully he had stopped it in time. Strangely enough, my girlfriend’s mother died on October 12th. Is there any validity to this superstition? Seriously, I don’t believe there is, but my husband is convinced. Me, I think it is just bad coincidence. A really bad, morbid coincidence. But…maybe, just maybe...I’ll refrain from washing clothes again on New Year’s Day just to be safe.

2. Spilling Salt and tossing it over your left shoulder. Salt once was very expensive and had many purposes. It was and still is used to purify. Salt has had many uses throughout history. In Greece, slaves were traded for salt. Hence, it’s where we get the saying, “He isn’t worth his salt.” Every grain of spilled salt was once believed to represent future tears in old English beliefs. If this were true, I would be in so much trouble. Spilled salt was believed to arouse enmity to the Germans. Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed the angels by looking back at the city of Sodom as it was being destroyed. Jesus referred to his disciples as “the Salt of the Earth.” Matthew 5:13 states, “You are the salt of the earth…” Parallel verses to Matthew 5:13 are Mark 9:49-50 and Luke 14:34-35, wherein he is referring to Christians as “salt”. The famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci, The Last Supper, depicts Judas Escariot—Jesus’ betrayer that led to his crucifixion—has spilled some salt on the table, which was thought to be a portent of evil and bad luck. I could go on and on with all the salt superstitions I found and the numerous biblical references. By throwing a pinch of salt over our shoulder, it is being thrown straight into the Devil’s face who is hanging out over our left shoulder because it is the sinister side of our body. Again, this is not a superstition I adhere to. My husband…well, again, I’ve seen him toss salt over his shoulder more than once when salt has been spilled. He’s so freaky about it that he will toss salt over my shoulder for me when I spill it. I find this upsetting because he’s getting salt all over the floor or counter.

3. Weddings are wrought with superstitions, many of which I participated in because they are considered good luck and it’s become like a tradition. The bride is supposed to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. There is supposed to be a penny in the bride’s shoe as well…this was most uncomfortable. The “something old” signified that the couple’s friends would stay with them; “something new” was for the couple’s future happiness, health and success; “something borrowed” was for the Bride’s family to give her something as a symbol of their love, but it must be returned to guarantee good fortune; and “something blue” was because the color represented fidelity and constancy. The penny in one’s shoe was supposed to bring the couple prosperity in their wedded years. At the bridal shower, I remember being told that the number of bows I broke while unwrapping the gifts indicated how many children we would have. It is a very old fertility rite to throw confetti, while throwing grains and/or nuts was considered life-giving seeds, which was probably also related to fertility.

4. Breaking a mirror is supposed to cause 7 years of bad luck. This superstition can be traced back to the Romans. However, many cultures believed that a mirror had the ability to possess a portion of the viewer’s soul. So if the viewer’s reflected image was distorted in any fashion, it could mean the viewer’s soul was corrupted. Worse yet, it was believed that a broken mirror reflected that the viewer’s soul was broken, as was the viewer’s health.

5. Walking under a ladder. In medieval times it was thought that a leaning ladder resembled the gallows, so in essence one was playing out their own execution by walking underneath it. Another explanation was that when a ladder is leaning up against a wall, it makes a triangular shape which represented the Holy Trinity. So by walking through the triangular shape, one was violating and desecrating God, and therefore, the violator would fall prey to Satan.

6. Various other superstitions that I won’t go into are, the horseshoe, the four-leaf clover, the wishbone, unlucky number 13, unlucky black cat, don’t open umbrellas indoors, making a wish when one blows out birthday candles, wishing on a shooting star, saying “break a leg” as opposed to saying “good luck” to actors/actresses, crossing fingers, rabbit’s foot, and the list goes on and on, but these were the ones I could think of. The last one I’ll mention is the one I hear from my boys, “Step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back.” I just want to know why we can’t break their father’s back instead of ours? I’m tired of getting the raw end of the deal. ;-)

Do you believe in superstitions? Tell me your superstitions, the ones you practice and believe in. Tell me it's a bunch of malarky, but tell me what you think.

I'll cross my fingers and hope everyone’s weekend is made of awesome!

(Note: Photos were snagged from Google Images and no copyright infringement was intended, but were used solely as visual aides.)

Mermaid or Selkie...What's in a Name?

I broke out my handy dandy book, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews, and the first magical creature I turned to was Selkie. The second one was Mermaid. Kind of weird since they both involve magical sea creatures, so I decided this was fate prodding me in the Selkie/Mermaid direction.

So, tell me, which sounds more romantic? Selkie or Mermaid? Which would you prefer to find on a rock in the middle of the sea? Which would you feel safer with or want to be romantically inclined with?

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie), a Selkie is a seal like creature with the ability to shed its seal shape and take human form when it comes to land. They are typically depicted in romantic stories where the human isn’t aware that their lover is a Selkie, but when they wake their lover is gone. There is also the legend of a human hiding the Selkie’s skin so that the Selkie cannot return to the sea and turn back into seal form. To further complicate things, Selkiescan have contact with one person for only a short period of time before it becomes necessary for them to return to the sea. After that, they cannot have human contact for seven years. With one exception, a human may betray them by stealing their Selkie skin and hiding or burning it (this just seems exceptionally cruel to me), thereby forcing the Selkie to remain here on earth since they cannot return to the sea without their skin.

Call me crazy, but I immediately thought of the Charmed episode, A Witch’s Tail, where the Mermaid was given one month by the sea hag, an evil witch, to find true love. Of course, the sea hag had ulterior motives. Don’t they always! LOL If the Mermaid couldn’t get her lover to admit his true love for her within one month, then she would have to give the sea hag her immortality. Maybe that’s a little farfetched in the comparison between Selkies and the Charmed episode, but both have a short period of time unless: 1) the Selkie’s,/i> skin is hidden from them; or 2) the Mermaid is able to find true love and her lover admits it. My opinion, the Selkie version isn’t all that romantic. Sounds a little too much like kidnapping to me.

Selkie also brought to mind the 1984 movie, Splash, with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Daryl Hannah plays a mermaid in this movie, but she’s also able to shed her tail for various periods of time while on land. And in Splash, the Mermaid and human fell in love, so it had its romantic theme. Kind of like a Selkie, right? ;-) Okay, maybe another long stretch, but my brain saw the similarity with the way she was able to take human form on land. Seeing this movie as an impressionable kid, I loved the romantic mermaid aspect of it.

I didn’t forget Ariel and Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, just chose not to discuss it since it was so similar to the Charmed version in The Witch’s Tail.

Okay, none of these movies/shows have anything do with Selkies really, but rather Mermaids, right? Or, maybe…well, let’s see what The Element Encylopedia of Magical Creatures, by John & Caitlin Matthews, has to say about Mermaids. In folklore, Mermaids have a dark side and were kind of scary actually, nothing at all like the above romantic elements. Mermaids were responsible for luring young men to their death. The appearance of a Mermaid presaged storms and disasters, not only bringing about misfortunes, but also provoking them. Legend has them enthusiastically seeking human lives by either drowning or consuming men. Yowza! Talk about a black widows death ala Mermaid style. Suddenly, instead of having the beautiful Ariel image in my head, I'm picturing a sea hag type monster with piranha teeth. It was said, Mermaids were born without a soul and the only way they could obtain a soul was by marrying a human.

These aspects of Mermaid folklore had very little deviations from The Celts, Irish, Scotts, British, Dutch, and Asian regions. In fact, the character of a Mermaid differs very little between the nations of the world, signifying that belief in these odd creatures has been around for an extremely long time and that they are all similar and frightening. And to tie in Mermaids with Selkies, one of the many regional names of a Mermaid is Selkie. Neat, huh? I thought so anyway. =)

(Note: All photos were snagged from Google Images. No copyright infringement was intended, but photos were used as visual aides.)

DAYBREAKERS

Review of Daybreakers

I went to the Dollar Matinee this weekend to see Daybreakers. It’s set in the future, 2019, and the majority of humankind has suffered from a disease that turned them into vampires. Humans are on the brink of extinction because of the supply and demand of human blood. The humans are hunted and culled for their blood by marine like vampires. But, vampires are facing a horrendous evolution of their species and the very likelihood they’ll all become monsters. Because of the blood shortage, the vampires are starving. Worse than that, starvation turns them into a vampire monster, with wings, pointy ears, and spiky predator fangs. Deformed into a bald, shriveled up creature, a shell of their former vampire selves, their strength that surpasses the vampires and the vampires are convinced the creature cannot be allowed to live. There’s only one problem, all of vampires are headed down this path because of the blood shorter. This movie holds true to some of the old “classics” like the vampires are allergic to sunlight, turn to ash if exposed to sunlight too long. Stakes are also a classic killer of this species.

(Human database where blood is drained from humans at Bromley Blood Bank)

Edward is a vampire hematologist that works for Bromley Blood and he’s working hard for a blood substitution, but a test run of a blood substitute ends in gory fashion and ultimately it doesn’t work. Then by accident he crashes into a group of humans and his life takes a 360 degree turn. He discovers a cure for vampirism, but wouldn’t you know it, the owner of Bromley doesn’t want anything to do with a cure because there’s no money in a cure.

One could hope in a virus infested world where vampires rule, they’d have their act together. But, of course, this isn’t the case in Daybreakers. The vampires are just as corrupt, lacking in morals and using the government for their own gain rather than the good of a country or the world and definitely not humanity. While this movie was set in the future, I wasn’t awed by the “future” visuals. This movie could have been set in the present day for no more gadgetry than was shown.

(Monster vampires turn into without blood)

I wouldn’t say this movie was a flop. It entertained me and I was never bored, but I wasn’t enthralled by its quality or riveting storyline. I’m glad I only paid $1 to see it instead of $9. After being entertained with movies like Underworld, Interview with a Vampire, Queen of the Damned and the Blade Series or even television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Supernatural and Fringe, I expect more quality than what I got in Daybreakers. While I don’t want to tell you the ending, I did like the twist on lore that led to the cure for vampirism.

Viewers on Internet Movie Data Base or imdb.com gave Daybreakers a 6.7 out of 10 rating. I think that was a fair assessment of all the movie had to offer. I might have given it a flat 6, but certainly not a 7.

But this is just my opinion. Tell me yours!

(Note: All pictures snagged from Photobucket. No copyright infringement was intended and these photos were used solely as a visual aide for this review.)

Dobie Houseguest....

Paranormal Maids or Evil Fairies?

I’ve bought this awesome book called, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, written by John and Caitlin Matthews. It is an A-Z collection of damn near every magical creature you can think of and then some I’ve never heard of. There are some peculiar magical creatures that are left out, like Satan/Lucifer, but maybe they don’t consider him magical.

Anyway, I have found a boat load of creatures I want to write about. Some I’m excited about and plan to use in upcoming books. *rubs hands together* Oh, the evil I can create with them. It’s got the muse juices flowing. ;-)

Anyhoo, the one I picked to talk about for my first Supernatural blog is Dobie/Dobby. For those of you familiar with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, I’m sure you’re familiar with this magical creature. Since I’ve never read a Harry Potter book *ducks flying tomatoes*, I wasn’t familiar with the character. But it does note that a Dobie is best known from this series as the not so bright friend of the young wizard.

To the British in Northern England, a Dobie is a house fairy. Who besides me wants one? *waves hand excitedly* Can I paweese have one? Pretty please, with a cherry on top! I always need help with house work and my family’s idea of helping is throwing socks on the stairs. Grrr… They never make them up the stairs unless I pick them up. What’s up with that? *rolls eyes*

Better yet, the Dobie likes helping us human beings. I’ll be honest, I like having help. You want to know what’s even better than that. A Dobie likes to help with laboring type tasks. Yippee! I got plenty of laboring type tasks that I need help with all the time! Dusting, sweeping, moping, vacuuming, washing clothes, cleaning toilets, yard work and cleaning out garages, that’ll get him started laboring. And since they like laboring, I’ll happily keep a Dobie happy. Cross my heart and all that stuff.

I am practically dancing at the thought of this. *looks about rabidly* I need one!!! Someone give me the 411 on where I can purchase a Dobie house fairy? I’m willing to pay top dollar *cough-within-reason-cough* and I’m guessing my local Wal-Mart isn’t selling them and if they are…they’ve got the price jacked so high I can’t see it. >:(

Apparently, Dobie’s aren’t known for their wisdom. Now, I’m thinking who cares about wisdom. It doesn’t take intelligence to sweep and mop floors. Or how about dusting? Yep, you guessed it, doesn’t require much intelligence from me to do that menial task.

Dobie’s often make ridiculous mistakes and are easily confused. Well, now the authors are just picking on them now. And, have they ever been to my house? My kids and I make ridiculous mistakes all the time. And…easily confused? *laughs uproariously* Visit my house and I’ll show you easily confused. Organized chaos aptly describes my household. When my boys (2 children + 1 husband) are all talking ninety to nothing (all at one time—seriously, it happens!), 2 + 2 = 4 becomes a difficult equation. They have me wanting to scream, “Stop the madness!” Or if I hear “Momma” or “Babe” one more time, I might garrote them all! LOL Kidding! No one is in serious danger of bodily harm, but I have had to talk myself down from going somewhat psycho.

Apparently West Yorkshire residents don’t like house fairies because to them a Dobie is an evil fairy that leaps onto the backs of unsuspicious commuters on horseback (I wonder if this has been upgraded to vehicles) and chokes them. *laughs weakly and looks about shiftily*



Psst…for the record, I don’t want a West Yorkshire Dobie. *shudders* They’re a little too violent for my cup of tea.

But, this lead me to wondering what does a Dobie look like? The book had nothing in it to suggest what a Dobie looks like and the West Yorkshire Dobie is an "evil fairy", which makes me think of Tinker Bell and other winged type of fairies. So, I have no clue and cannot even come up with an imaginative appearance. If you have any ideas or want to share your imagination, please leave comment.

Hope you enjoyed learning about Dobie/Dobby's. Make me proud and be naughty at least once before I post another paranormal creature. ;-)

Don't forget this paranormal site is for those of you that love the paranormal, so if you have any ideas or discussions you wish to see here, please e-mail me at gracen.miller@yahoo.com and tell me your suggestions!



Disclaimer: Photo was copied from Photobucket and no copyright infringement was intended.

Paranormal Archives

Welcome to our Paranormal Page Archives!
  Here you find links to all of the topics that have been discussed in this section.
April 05, 2010 - Urban Legends
March 29, 2010 - Are You Superstitious?
March 22, 2010 - Mermaid or Selkie...What's in a Name?
March 13, 2010 - Daybreakers movie
Jan 25, 2010 - Dobie Houseguest...