magic – Museum of the Weird

Posted on December 15, 2012 by MOTW Admin

CONSTRUCTION CREW FRIGHTENED BY APPARITION OF HEADLESS MONK

Most construction sites don’t end up on top of a ancient burial ground, but this one did.

While building a new water side addition to the Thorpe Park in Chertsey, Surrey, England, construction crews were haunted by a rather frightening apparition of a headless monk. When inspectors came to see what all the fuss was about, they realized the new water slide was possibly being built on an old burial ground. After some consideration and discussing whether or not a headless monk ghost was something they wanted as part of their theme park, they decided against scaring the heck out of people and rather, letting them slide to the pool in peace.

Daily Mail Online writes:

A headless monk, a sudden chill, objects moving of own accord.

A new ride at an amusement park? No, the strange, seemingly paranormal, behaviour was experienced by workmen building a water ride at Thorpe Park, one of the country’s biggest theme parks.

There were reports of workers feeling like someone was watching over their shoulder and sudden cold feelings being experienced.

As a result of the ghostly sightings, and fears that an ancient burial ground has been disturbed, the project was moved to another site.

A paranormal detection agency was then called in to the park in Chertsey, Surrey, to carry out tests and found that a burial ground or settlement could have been disturbed.

Managers at the park decided to relocate the ride to another area of the park and also called in a forensic team to carry out further investigations.

The 64ft-tall water ride, Storm Surge, was originally planned for an area known as Monk’s Walk, an old footpath that has linked the ruins of nearby Chertsey Abbey to Thorpe Church since AD666.

The ride’s foundations would have been over an area of the park where stone coffins have previously been excavated.

Mike Vallis, divisional director of Thorpe Park, said: ‘It became apparent that something strange was going on when teams started clearing Storm Surge’s initial site.

‘Staff reports of eerie goings-on shot up and the only physical change in the park, at that time, was the beginning of ground preparation work for the new ride.

‘As employees were getting freaked out, we decided to call on an expert to see whether there was anything to report but had no idea of the dramatic effects.’

Jim Arnold, of South West London Paranormal, said: ‘We carry out these kinds of investigations quite regularly, with medium to weak results being reported on a weekly basis.

‘Thorpe Park, however, was more striking as results were picked up immediately, with orbs, ghostly images in photography and ouija reaction results being strongest around the site where they were proposing to build Storm Surge.

‘The results were so strong, we felt the only explanation could be that an ancient burial ground or settlement was being disturbed, prompting the extra paranormal activity.’

Read more and check out some pictures at dailymail.co.uk/news

Posted on October 17, 2012 by MOTW Admin

CRYPTOPALOOZA! A WEEKEND OF MUSIC, MOVIES AND OF COURSE, CRYPTIDS!

Cryptopalooza is going to be a fantastic weekend of music, movies, cryptids and most important of all, FUN!

Hey folks, just wanted to let everyone know that we’ll be a part of a fantastic cryptozoology event called CRYPTOPALOOZA, held deep in the heart of the Piney woods of East Texas in the comfy-cozy town of Jefferson. They’ll be movie screenings from across the crypto-sphere, Q & A’s with directors, presentations, music performances by major cryptozoologists, and we, the Museum of the Weird, will even be participating with a traveling version of our collection of oddities for all who attend to be entertained and astounded! Meet the owner of the Museum himself, Steve Busti, with a possible surprise appearance by the most famous cryptid of them all! Who, or better yet, WHAT could it be? Well, you’ll just have to come on down and check it out for yourself on the 19th, 20th and 21st of October in Jefferson, Texas just off of Highway 59 near Marshall.

Click here to check out the website at cryptopalooza.com for more information and tickets to this once in a lifetime event!

Mister Cryptomundo himself, Craig Woolheater, says:

Cryptopalooza has been a long time in the making, but it’s finally a reality. Over the years friends Michael Esordi, founder of Believe It Tour, and Craig Woolheater, founder of Cryptomundo, have tossed around ideas about the conference experience and how to make it even better for people. Out of those discussions the idea began to form of starting something new and unique. Michael hit on the name Cryptopalooza and things started to pick up steam when the city of Jefferson, Texas contacted Craig about doing an event in their city.

With the growing number of Bigfoot and cryptozoolgy conferences spreading across the country, it’s obvious there’s an interest in these topics and a need for events to bring people together.

You won’t want to miss this event.

Join us October 19-20, 2012, for a weekend of music, movies, speakers, cryptids, and fun!

It’s sure to be an amazing weekend of good fun, good food, and good friends!

Click here to check out the website at cryptopalooza.com for more information and tickets to this once in a lifetime event!

Posted on October 7, 2012 by MOTW Admin

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BUILT A FLYING SAUCER IN 1950s

A drawing from the government's declassified files showing "Project 1794" in action.

Well, those who believe in UFOs understand that they are most likely coming from another planet but, recent declassified documents from the US Air Force show that the UFO’s the world has been seeing, may have come from us!

You can see some of the earliest tests from the US Air Force of a real flying saucer below and, if they had made that much progress back then, imagine what’s possible today.

Wired writes:

Officially, aliens have never existed but flying saucers very nearly did. The National Archives has recently published never-before-seen schematics and details of a 1950s military venture, called Project 1794, which aimed to build a supersonic flying saucer.

The newly declassified materials show the U.S. Air Force had a contract with a now-defunct Canadian company to build an aircraft unlike anything seen before. Project 1794 got as far as the initial rounds of product development and into prototype design. In a memo dating from 1956 the results from pre-prototype testing are summarized and reveal exactly what the developers had hoped to create.

The saucer was supposed to reach a top speed of “between Mach 3 and Mach 4, a ceiling of over 100,000 ft. and a maximum range with allowances of about 1,000 nautical miles,” according to the document.

If the plans had followed through to completion they would have created a saucer, which could spin through the Earth’s stratosphere at an average top speed of about 2,600 miles per hour. Wow. It was also designed to take off and land vertically (VTOL), using propulsion jets to control and stabilize the aircraft. Admittedly the range of 1,000 nautical miles seems limited in comparison to the other specifications – but if you’d hopped on the disk in New York it could’ve had you in Miami within about 24 minutes.

You can read more and see more details at wired.com

Posted on October 6, 2012 by MOTW Admin

UFO SEEN OVER THE GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE

Does this photo show a weather balloon, parachute, or an authentic UFO from another world?

While trying to catch a photo of the natural wildlife of the Greek Islands, tourists caught a little something extra on film that wasn’t seen until they looked back through the photos at home. Not ones to jump to conclusions, they tried to figure out just what on Earth it could be but, it seems it may not be from this planet at all.

Ghost Theory writes:

I’ve seen a lot of UFO pictures in my time, but occasionally one comes along that for the life of me, I just can’t logically explain. Now I have to depend on our UFO ID expert Henry and I’m not so sure even Henry can come up with a feasible explanation on this one.

A German couple out photo-journaling the day last month got a big shock while going through shots they had taken along Balos Beach, Gramvousa in Crete.

There are obviously goats in the foreground, however, up in the sky, we can see an oddly shaped metallic object. My first inclination was a bird as it does have some shape aspects that tend to lean that way, but the reflection of the sun off the metal-like surface tells me something different. What that something may be, is where I get stuck.

Watch the video and read more at ghosttheory.com/2012

Posted on October 5, 2012 by MOTW Admin

APPARITION FILMED IN A 120 YEAR OLD BUILDING

Has an investigative team caught a full-bodied appartition on film, or is it just a shadow?

Ghost Theory writes:

Strange. The Anomalist recently posted a link to an interesting YouTube video in which is said to show a “full bodied apparition”.

“My paranormal team investigated a 120 year old building (now a deli) and while investigating in the raised ceiling area (now a walk-in attic) we caught one of the most amazing pieces of evidence we’ve ever seen.
This evidence has been seen and analyzed by Paul Bradford of “GHI”, Bill Murphey of “Fact or Faked”, Micah Hanks & Scotty Roberts the Founders of “Intrepid Magazine”, Founders of “Mufon”, Dr. Rita Louise, UFO expert Anthony Sanchez and others from around the Paranormal community.”

An interesting list of well-known investigators are listed as having reviewed the video. No mention as to what their conclusions were, but it’s an impressive list. (shout outs to my friend the famous Mr. Hanks)

The video shows an interesting dark shadow moving in an erratic manner in some dark attic. Nothing more, nothing less.

AIR FORCE COLONEL CRIES COVER-UP OVER UFOS

A former Air Force Colonel claims the government is actively covering up UFO reports and incidents.

Could the “Men In Black” be a real agency linked to the United States government? One Ex-Air Force Colonel certianly thinks so, and wouldn’t he be one to know?

The Huffington Post writes:

LAS VEGAS — Former Air Force Col. Charles Halt accused the federal government of a UFO cover-up that involves a secret agency to deal with what might be extraterrestrial visitations.

“I’m firmly convinced there’s an agency, and there is an effort to suppress,” Halt told an audience of 200 people Saturday night at the Smithsonian-affiliated National Atomic Testing Museum.

Two former Air Force officers who were part of the infamous Project Blue Book — the military’s official UFO investigation in the 1950s and ’60s — and a former investigator with Britain’s Ministry of Defense were among the panel of speakers for a program entitled “Military UFOs: Secrets Revealed.”

Halt, pictured below, was the deputy base commander of the RAF Bentwaters military base in England and one of numerous eyewitnesses to several UFO-related events at Rendlesham Forest in December 1980. He believes the observed UFOs were either extraterrestrial or extradimensional in origin.

“I’ve heard many people say that it’s time for the government to appoint an agency to investigate,” Halt said.

“Folks, there is an agency, a very close-held, compartmentalized agency that’s been investigating this for years, and there’s a very active role played by many of our intelligence agencies that probably don’t even know the details of what happens once they collect the data and forward it. It’s kind of scary, isn’t it?

FOUND: LOST PAGES FROM EGYPTS’ ANCIENT BOOK OF THE DEAD

The mummy of Hunefer, shown supported by the god Anubis (or a priest wearing a jackal mask). Hunefer's wife mourns, and two priests perform rituals.

An unexpected find by Egyptologist, John Taylor, has made a remarkable impact on the piecing together of the entire, original manuscript of the ancient Egyptian tome, the Book Of The Dead.

Wikipedia says about the book:

The Book of the Dead is made up of a number of individual texts and their accompanying illustrations. Most sub-texts begin with the word ro, which can mean mouth, speech, a chapter of a book, spell, utterance, or incantation. This ambiguity reflects the similarity in Egyptian thought between ritual speech and magical power. In the context of the Book of the Dead, it is typically translated as either “chapter” or “spell”. In this article, the word “spell” is used.

At present, some 192 spells are known,though no single manuscript contains them all. They served a range of purposes. Some are intended to give the deceased mystical knowledge in the afterlife, or perhaps to identify them with the gods: for instance, Spell 17, an obscure and lengthy description of the god Atum. Others are incantations to ensure the different elements of the dead person’s being were preserved and reunited, and to give the deceased control over the world around him. Still others protect the deceased from various hostile forces, or guide him through the underworld past various obstacles. Famously, two spells also deal with the judgement of the deceased in the Weighing of the Heart ritual.

CBC News writes:

Papyrus fragments from an Egyptian funerary text known as a Book of the Dead have been discovered in the archives of the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia.

“We are incredibly surprised that we had such a significant object in our collection,” museum CEO Ian Galloway told Australian press.

The discovery was made recently during a visit to the museum by British Museum Egyptologist John Taylor.

While on a tour of the Australian venue’s Egyptian collection ahead of its new exhibit Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb (which opened Thursday), Taylor noticed a familiar name — Amenhotep, a well-known ancient Egyptian head of builders — on a fragile piece of papyrus long ago conserved by Queensland Museum curators.

Upon further examination of the collection, he confirmed that the ancient scraps were from The Book of the Dead of Amenhotep, an ancient Egyptian official from approximately 1420 B.C.

MYSTERY MUSIC FLOATS THROUGH YELLOWSTONE

Mystery music floating along the shores of Yellowstone Lake has puzzled many hikers and park goers for over a hundred years now, and doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop anytime soon.


Imagine going on vacation from the hum drum of 9-5 life, to the majestic wonder of the Yellowstone National park! Now imagine, being at one with nature amongst the mountains, plains, and valleys. Then, coming to rest on the egde of Yellowstone Lake after an exhausting morning hike through the wilderness.
As you sit there, enjoying your ham and cheese sandwich with a little baggie of granola mix, a feint humming begins to tickle your ears. First distant, then slowly growing closer. Just a buzz of noise from far away but as it comes nearer, you begin hearing notes, then a melody!
Crystal clear harps harmonizing on the wind with trumpets and horns serenading you from the skies! Growing louder and more intense! How wonderful! …and strange.Where is this amazing music coming from? You search the clear blue, cloud dotted sky for any signs of, well… anything.
Nothing.
As quickly as it came, it begins to slowly fade away. The hum trails off in the distance as the mysterious sound disappears into the breeze.You’re left with a half-eaten sandwich in your hand and a half-chewed bite in your mouth that’s hanging wide open as you sit, perplexed at what just occurred.


THAT is basically what has actually happened to a few people visiting the park!


Be it natural wonder or something more extraordinary, we may never know, but we can imagine all the different possibilities of this mystery music that seemingly comes from the heavens. Give us some of your thoughts on what it could be in the comments below!

Yellowstone Gate writes:

Yellowstone Lake and the rugged backcountry that surrounds it is a place where millions go seeking solitude and silence. Yet it in a well-documented but rarely discussed phenomenon, some visitors to the Lake area have experienced remarkable celestial sounds of unknown and unexplained origin.

“They resemble the ringing of telegraph wires or the humming of a swarm of bees, beginning softly in the distance, growing rapidly plainer until directly overhead, and then fading as rapidly in the opposite direction,” wrote Hiram M. Chittenden in 1895 in his book, “The Yellowstone National Park.”

Chittenden’s description is one of several in the historical record — as well as many more from popular anecdotal accounts — of strange sounds or “lake music” coming from the skies around Yellowstone Lake and Shoshone lake.

JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES!

FREE EVENT! Come join us this Thursday, December 15th, for an evening of Christmas Ghost Stories!

Thursday, December 15th
8:00pm
The Museum of the Weird presents
An Evening of Christmas Ghost Stories
with your host Richard Whittaker

Come warm your bones with some hot chocolate and egg nog as we gather for an age-old Christmas tradition– listening to spooky tales of days of yore! Featuring two terrifying tales by British master of the macabre, M.R. James, as read by resident Englishman Richard Whittaker.

The event is FREE and includes free admission to the Museum of the Weird! Seating is extremely limited, so even though it is free, we recommend making reservations ahead of time by calling 512-476-5493.

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Doc Ravencraft

Thanks giving

While some of you might think that someone who goes by the title of “Authentic Texas Mojo Man” might be squatting in a hut somewhere, shunning any connection with technology and eating anything unlucky enough to crawl within my grasp, the truth is that I’m fairly wired for a wizard. Technology helps me keep up with others in the world and I benefit from it a lot. I also make sure that I know where the off switch is for everything! This week I’m going to be turning off a lot of my technology while I surround myself with the love and company of family and friends in the traditional Thanksgiving holiday as celebrated in the United States.

However, as I prepare, I thought it was fun to see the Google search trends moving from the typical sports, politics, murder and other things that pass for news nowadays to people searching for green bean casserole and pecan pie recipes. That gives me hope for the humans and starts me thinking about what makes this time a special and sacred one.

There is a profound power in the giving of thanks. It seems like such a trivial thing, but it is the completion of the cycle of wishing. First you decide what you want. Then you visualize it clearly and send that idea out into the Universe. Next you do the work and put the resources that you can into making things come true… while you accept what the Universe has to offer to bring your wish. Finally, you acknowledge what you received and you give thanks! If you leave out that last step then you aren’t done.

Why? Why is it important to give thanks? It seems to me that anyone who would ask that question is looking for a loophole, and I’m tempted to just let them discover for themselves. I won’t worry about them, though and I’ll give my answer to you. It’s simple energy. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you make the wish and the wish is granted that leaves the ball in your court so to speak. If you don’t lob it back by giving thanks then the game is over. When you do give thanks it takes some of that energy that you received and puts it back into play, available for you and for everyone who needs it.

You may not believe that. That’s OK. It doesn’t really matter if you believe it or not. It still works. Think abut the last time that you gave profound thanks for something, expressed true gratitude. Do you remember the way that felt, that wash of goodness? Do you remember the joy that you felt in others as you thanked them? All of that is real. That is energy moving around and it makes a difference. If you’ve gotten out of the habit of showing gratitude for what you receive then you’ve just forgotten what all of this feels like and you need to get back into the game.

There will be a lot of people who will sit around the table with family and friends and they will bitch about everything. They’ll bring up old family squabbles and pick, pick, pick on each other. They’ll complain about problems with work, with the car, with everything. It will throw a huge grey cloud over everything that not even grandma’s homemade pie can overcome. Don’t you do that!

Think of everything, anything, that you have. If you’ve gotten caught up in everyone’s misery game you may have to work for it, but I promise you that there is something to be grateful for. (I’ll give you a hint. You have life. That’s a start.) Once things come to mind they will likely lead to others and you will realize that you have a greater abundance than you imagined. If not, then you’re just out of practice. If there are people at hand who you feel deserve some of this gratitude, then thank them directly. You’ll light them up. If not, then just thank God, or the Universe or whatever you can envision. Think about how what you have has made a difference to you and let that good feeling flow out of you. Feels good, doesn’t it?

You may even find that if you take an attitude of genuine gratitude that you’ll infect the others and they will feel the joy of gratitude as well. You may even find that the conversation turns to good memories and people let the cares and concerns go for just a little while.

Let the mojo flow, my friends.