Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Conewago Phantom Screams

In early autumn 1988 I was at a local exhibition near Baltimore and bumped into Andy, an old friend who was there as part of a group from the Boy Scouts of York-Adams Area Council (Pa.). Both of us had been Boy Scouts together and I was happy to see that he continued as a troop leader. We decided to grab a bite to eat and catch up a bit... it had been 12 years since we had seen each other. After awhile, the subject of my paranormal investigations came into the conversation. He had always been fascinated with ghost sightings at Gettysburg and the surrounding area and had camped near the battlefield on several occasions.
Andy stated that a few of the local troops had recently been camping at the old Camp Conewago and some of the boys had reported hearing "crying" sounds and were spooked bad enough that a few left their campsites early. They had setup their campsites deeper than usual in the woods near the Conewago Creek fork (where the Little Conewago and main Conewago Creek meet). He stated that he and another scout leader were going to check out the area the following weekend and he wanted to know if I'd at least go up for the day and investigate with them. I accepted the invitation.
Camp Conewago is located north of New Oxford, Pa. in Adams County along the main Conewago Creek upstream from Dick's Dam. It was established in 1919 for exclusive use by the local Boy Scouts of America. The area is rich in early colonial history since it was located on a major hunting route used by the Susquehannock Indians. Several attempts to establish settlements in this area failed because of Indian raids. As well, the Susquehannocks constantly warred with neighboring tribes. The Susquehannocks were eventually forced back into northeast Maryland and Delaware and the colonists were able to expand westward into the Allegheny Mountains. The area became an important trading stop for settlers to stock up on supplies and to get updates before heading into the wilderness.
I met with Andy and John the following Friday at the campground. I was shocked at how little the place had changed. A flood of boyhood memories came over me while I walked around the cabins and the administration building. Andy wanted to know how long I planned to stay and that they were going to setup camp in the same area of the reports. I was game... so I told him I'd stay for the weekend, grabbed my gear and followed them into the woods. I suppose we hiked about 500 yards or so before we came to the bank of the creek, then we followed the creek for another 300 yards until we came to the fork. We setup 3 tents and had a nice fire going in short order. It was around 7:00 pm by this time, so we decided stay close to camp for the remainder of the evening.
The first night was fairly uneventful, though I sensed that something was watching us. I didn't say anything but kept my eyes open and head clear. These woods are somewhat thick with ground cover and are inhabited by a fair amount of wildlife, especially white-tailed deer and raccoons. I remember when I was a Boy Scout, the older kids would send out the new members of the scout troop on an initiation "snipe" hunt. They'd give the prospective "hunter" a burlap bag and a flashlight and set them out into the woods at night telling them they could return only after they caught a "snipe". They were usually running back to the campsite within an hour scared to the point of tears. It was a bit cruel, but we all had to go through the indignity... it was a tradition.
The next morning was sunny and cool... a perfect day to explore the woods. We sat down to breakfast when John asked if we heard footsteps and movement during the night. Andy said he slept straight through the night. I said I heard some movement but assumed it was one of my companions. Nothing seemed to be disturbed in the campsite, so we dismissed it... though I still had this lingering sense that we were being watched. We spent the day walking for several miles through the woods and examining points of interest. I wasn't picking up any spirit connections and started to think that this was going to be a quiet weekend. About 6:00 pm we got back to camp and sat down to talk about any little thing that came into our heads.
Later that evening, we were sitting around the fire engaged in a conversation about football when suddenly a scream rang out west and upstream from our location. I thought it sounded like an owl at first, but a few minutes later it happened again and it distinctively sounded like a child. I couldn't tell how far away it was but it lasted for several seconds and seemed to fade in and out. We got up and walked a few yards into the woods expecting to hear the sound again. It was quiet for about an hour and we were discussing what could have naturally caused that sound. I have heard bobcats, owls and rabbits scream and none sounded close to this. We agreed that it was definitely the cries of a child.
We decided to stay up for the entire night. There was a full moon and much of the woods and creek were visible. At approximately 1:00 am, I was walking the perimeter of our camp when I suddenly felt like something was watching me. I stood still and tried to gauge what was going on. I told Andy and John what I felt and we started to walk deeper into the woods towards the fork. We walked about 50 feet when, without warning, we recognized to our right a large dark figure with bright red eyes standing in the creek... and suddenly it shot straight up into the air with an audible "whoosh". A few seconds later, we heard another scream that seemed to fade as if was moving away from us.
We hurried back to the campsite and compared thoughts about this phantom. Andy was shook up and didn't talk for several minutes until I prodded him for his recollection. John was surprising calm and estimated that it was 6 foot or so, dark in color and seemed to have something extending from its back. I also noticed the structures on the back and commented that it reminded me of wings but I was unsure. We all agreed that it had bright red eyes. This creature or phantom jettisoned so fast that we didn't even have time to get a flashlight on it. Andy wanted to spend the night in the administration building and come back and collect our gear in the morning. He and John walked back, but I decided to stay in the campsite for the remainder of the night. Nothing significant occurred though that feeling of being watched remained.
After the investigation and further research, I concluded that this creature or phantom was more than a simple spirit or energy. I was aware of the numerous sightings of a "Mothman" in West Virginia and it seemed that this being was somewhat similar in description... but I have significant doubt that it is a cryptid (NOTE: I have since changed my mind). I and other researchers have investigated this area since our sighting and have come up with minimal evidence, though a report of a dark creature was made by a resident who lived near Dick's Dam a few years later. The investigation remains open... hopefully I or someone else will be able to offer a plausible answer in the future.
NOTE: In 2008, I received an email from a man who lived a mile or so downstream from this incident (near Dick's Dam). He stated that he had heard similar screams for many years and that the frightful sounds continued to this day. A scout leader also emailed me approximately the same time and wanted to tell me that a few of the boys in his troop had witnessed what they described as a 'dragon' that was 6 foot tall with wings and a tail... but looked like it had fur or feathers. He said that the boys seemed serious but thought they were 'showing off' and dismissed their claims until later when he read the account of my experience.
Since that time, I have continued to check up on the area to see if anything strange develops. The Native American folklore and stories from settlers who inhabited the area offer several possibilities as to the identity of this cryptid but to date, I have not been able to make a plausible theory as to what is being heard or seen.
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Were Gods Aliens?

Almost all Gods are believed to come from the skies. From Christianity to Islam, to Hinduism, to Judaism, gods of all religions have some connections with the skies. So, did they really come from a world other than earth? There are speculations that gods came from a different world. Some people believe that they were aliens; at least ancient astronaut theorists strongly believe that gods were aliens and came from another world. Let us come across some facts that force us to believe that our so-called gods were aliens.
Depiction of Gods
  • If gods were humans, why civilizations across the world have been depicting them so differently? For example, in ancient Mesopotamian cultures, a group of deities, Anunnaki have been depicted more like gray aliens than humans. They are believed to come from skies and people in Mesopotamia used to worship them like gods. Some Anunnaki gods have been depicted with bird or reptilian heads.

  • Two popular paintings of 13th and 17th centuries, one hangs over the alter at the Visoki Decani Monestary in Kosovo, Yugoslavia and another is located in the Svetishoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia, depict two flying objects on either side of Christ. These objects, more like flying saucers, also have flames and are appearing to blast-off into skies.

  • Indra is the god of rain and thunderstorm in Indian mythology. He was believed to live in Svaragloka (haeaven), a place somewhere in space. He had a weapon called Vajra which he used to kill sinners and ignorant persons. In Norse mythology, a similar depiction of the god of thunder, lightning storm, and the protector of mankind is Thor. He wielded hammer as his weapon and lived in heaven-like place called Asgard that was only accessible via Bifrost Bridge.

  • A deity of Mayan has been depicted to wear an astronaut-like helmet with tubes. There are many Mesoamerican or Mayan statues that totally resemble pilots in space suits.

  • A painting "The Madonna with Saint Giovannino" hangs over Palazzo Vecchio and was most likely painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in 15th century, depicts an unidentified flying object above Mary's left shoulder. A man and his dog can also clearly be seen looking up at the floating object.
Weapons and vehicles of Gods
  • In many Sanskrit epics, Vimanas have been referred as mythical flying machines. Ramayana, one of the great epics of India and Nepal, mentions a Vimana owned by Ravana. It was made by Vishwakarma for Brahma who is the Hindu god of creation. Brahma gifted this flying machine to Kubera, the god of wealth, but was later stolen, along with Lanka, by his half-brother, the demon king Ravana.

  • Lord Yhovah is described as flying in all different clouds. In different depictions, he can be seen to fly in bright clouds, dark clouds, white clouds, thick clouds, low clouds and fiery clouds. There are platforms, great fires, storms, sky dwellings that propose some kind of flying vehicle that the god lives in, and travels in.

  • Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city in the basin of Mexico has its architectural significant for top-less pyramids. The name Teotihuacan means "the place where men become gods. These pyramids do not have any chambers on top. They have flat tops which appear to be vertical landing platforms for some kind of sky vehicles. Each platform also has a set of staircase.

  • Many gods and divine beings mentioned in the Bible traveled in flying machine like object that rapidly flew, spun and projected light beams at night. These objects could have descended to the ground and ascended into the sky. They could have also hovered over ground and generated sounds.

  • There are thousands of gods and deities worshipped all over the world, and there are hundreds of mythological objects or weapons dedicated to them. Most common weapons with which most of the gods have been depicted include swords, tridents, bows and staves. All the depictions of gods, regardless of their orientations, show them with one or more divine object or weapon. For example, a weapon creating thunderbolt has been mentioned in most of the mythologies. The Hebrew Bible mentions about an arrow-like weapon generating lightning. Vedic mythology mentions about a thunderbolt weapon called Vajra that was wielded by Lord Indra. In Greek mythology, Zeus had thunderbolt weapon. In Igbo mythology, the thunderbolt is the weapon of Amadiora. There are tens of similar examples for the use of a thunderbolt-types weapon.
Glimpses of modern technology in ancient walls, building, structures and references, etc
  • Many researchers have adopted the view that kings of Atlantis, a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC, were the later gods of Egypt, Greece, America and North Europe. Atlantis is believed to have technology of very advanced stages. The book A Dweller On Two Planets describes many references with respect to Atlantis. There is mention of devices like air conditioner, lamps, light-tubes, electric rifles, guns, mono-rail transportation system, water generators, aerial ships, etc.

  • Seti I, and his son Ramses II, considered as god kings, built the temple of Abydos. In this temple, there is a heavy stone slab for supporting the ceiling. The stone slab has hieroglyphical writings, which illustrate some futuristic crafts such as a helicopter, a space ship, hovercraft or tank, an airplane, and the last one also looks like some kind of spacecraft.

  • Carved lid of the tomb of K'inich Janaab' Pakal in the Temple of the Inscriptions shows the king Pakal sitting in the cockpit of some compact aerial vehicle and operating levers. He also has some kind of oxygen tube connected to his mouth. Researchers have also discovered a huge artifact, identical to the exhaust system of a rocket engine, in the secret chamber below the tomb Pakal.
However, these pointers do not prove that our gods were aliens, but they suggest that maybe the gods were aliens.
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Controlling Your Dreams - Things to Do While Lucid Dreaming

Meditation As A Part Of Lucid Dreaming Guide For Beginners
Up until today, many are still confused about meditation. Some say that it has a great connection with God and others anticipate that its simply concentrating in full silence. The truth is just far from those thoughts. Meditation is basically a practice wherein the person trains his mind and tries to persuade in a mode of heedfulness to discern some benefits. This is used by many individuals in lucid dreaming or the act of controlling the dream. Being an expert in meditation, you will never ask the question how to control your dreams again. Although meditation itself needs excessive practice, many are still being patient in doing it in order to get lucidity.
Meditation and Lucid Dreaming
Many dreamers twin their dreaming techniques with meditation. Some try to master both together and others focus on one aspect. Either way, many experts claimed that meditation plays a great role in their dreaming activity which gives beginners a clearer picture of lucid dreaming techniques. With just a quick search in Wikibooks they will immediately find various advices from experts and meditation is always a part of it.
One handy tip to assure that meditation will be an effective trick to achieve lucidity is to ensure that you do it perfectly. Dream control is not as easy as what many people think. In fact this needs practice and a good dose of concentration. To avoid similar lucid dreaming problem from happening repeatedly try following these handy meditation tips.
Tips To Meditate The Right Way
Practice In The Right Place - find a calm and peaceful place to practice meditation. There should be no disturbance or any form of noise and sit in the most comfortable way you can. It's not necessary to do the lotus position. You can either sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground or sit on the floor with crossed legs.
Concentrate - softly close your eyes and begin to take few but deep breaths. Inhale with your nose and exhale with your mouth. This way you'll refrain from forcing yourself to breathe. In a couple of minutes you will then notice that this breathing pattern will come naturally. This will also gradually become deeper.
Be aware - in order to see the effects of meditation, be aware it alongside from fully concentrating on the right steps. You will notice that you're starting to be more relaxed and calm. Be aware of your breathing and don't think of any distraction which may come. Lend your full focus on the activity and refrain from thinking of other things. This may not come easy but as you continue this practice you will find it simpler to concentrate.
Positive Effects In Lucid Dreaming
Concentration and focus are vital when trying to dream lucidly. Improving in meditation will also result in improving lucid dreaming. Because beginners like you need to familiarize various lucid dreaming tips, you should also have enough focus to avoid similar lucid problems. How to control your dreams is one easy question, but applying these tips require an adequate amount of motivation.
For more lucid dreaming techniques and lucid dreaming tips and tricks, visit our blog at luciddreaminghq.com. Visit our training guide, videos and product information guide.
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