The Church and the Black Death

Medieval medicine and healing practices in Europe were often hampered by the institution of the Church. Dissections were seen as sacrilegious and prayer was often prescribed by priests who believed sickness was a punishment from God. As a result, many of the medical practices of the 14th century were based on speculation and superstition, which could be especially harmful during really bad outbreaks such as that of the first plague epidemic.
The Act-of-God
The most celebrated doctor of the 14th century was Guy de Chauliac, physician to Pope Clement VI. According to him, the first plague epidemic known as the Black Death (1348 - 1350) was brought about when Mars, Jupiter and Saturn came into alignment in 1345. This alignment was thought to be a sign from God that the disease was sent as a punishment for the sinful antics of medieval man.
With doctors of his calibre and high ranking church officials believing in the act-of-God aspect of disease, especially when it came to really bad outbreaks such as the Plague, it must have caused a feeling of helplessness amongst the laymen, and the general medical and religious community. Most would have thought when the Black Death hit that there was nothing left for them to do but pray to God for forgiveness and mercy.
Quality of the Priesthood During and After the Black Death
Priests, like everyone else became afraid during the epidemic that wiped out somewhere between a third and half the population of Europe in a little over two years. In that time, they lost a lot of credibility as an institution because they told everyone the plague was a punishment from God, but then lost as many people to it as any other institution or profession.
This led many to believe the church carried little favour with the Lord, no more so than the lay people so to some extent led to the Black Death bringing about a decline of the influence of the Catholic Church. The priests that did survive were often so afraid of catching the disease themselves that they refused to administer last rites, so much so that the Bishop of Bath & Wells said to his constituency in 1349; "Priests cannot be found for love or money....to visit the sick and administer the last sacraments of the church - perhaps because the fear they will catch the disease". He continued that sins should be confessed to a layperson if no priests were to be found or even, "to a woman if no man is available"!
It was not only the Priesthood that were guilty of this, generally medical practices of the mid-14th century when the Black Death broke out left a lot to be desired as doctors too are reported as being difficult to find for fear of catching the disease.
It is also only fair to say that many priests and doctors did in fact risk and often lose their own lives attempting to help the sick and give last rites to the dying, however this had the effect of limiting the numbers of good priests and doctors and aided the survival of those too scared to do their jobs properly.
As a result of the many priests who died, the Church became somewhat slack in who it allowed to take the sacred vows. This led to many people joining the clergy for the wrong reasons, or at least more so than usual. Henry Knighton remarked in his work, 'Chronicles of the Fourteenth Century', "One could hardly get a Chaplin to serve a church for less than ten pounds or ten marks. Whereas before the pestilence, when there were plenty of priests, anyone could get a Chaplin for five or even four marks".

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Witchcraft Love Spells: Should I or Should I Not?

So how long has it been since you went out on date? Are you getting desperate enough to actually use witchcraft in order to find love? Before going over the deep end and joining a coven, think first. Is this really worth selling your soul over? Is this really worth the risk of crossing over to the dark side? Contrary to popular belief, the practice of Wicca is witchcraft. If you are a Christian, then participation in witchcraft of any kind is strictly prohibited. Why? I can say with all certainty that our God, the Christian God, the one and only true God, has His reasons. He wisely chose not to scare us with the details because giving glory to evil was not on the agenda.
However, I can tell you from personal experience with those who have chosen to experiment with the mystical world of witchcraft and the dark arts that their lives are not the better for it; they are never the same. In fact, it is not unusual for many people, who delve into casting witchcraft love spells or otherwise, to begin experiencing the sudden onset of serious health problems for no apparent reason. Doctors are left baffled in battling to save their lives on many occasions and the curses do not stop there. The entire family suffers. Pets suddenly grow ill and die, children develop deseases not common to family heritage, and fatal accidents occur. If this is happening to you, how many red flags does it take to get your attention?
Besides all that, the fact is you are manipulating the circumstances by attempting to control a person's free will. Is that your right? Absolutely not! And what makes you think this won't backfire on you? Eventually, it most likely will, which should not surprise you. No amount of witchcraft love spells, lotions, potions, or otherwise will stick forever. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that you are violating a law of nature when trying to control and manipulate a person's mind, will, and emotions.
There is no real fountain of youth. It is inevitable that gravity will take it's toll on our bodies. How can any kind of witchcraft love spells bring about true love; the unconditional kind of love that the Bible teaches about in I Corinthians chapter 13? This is the kind of love that will promise to stay with you through the good times and the bad, through sickness and in health; and in my case, fatness and thinness.
Beloved, only God can do this for you. There is no need to test His trustworthiness any further. God promises to stick closer to you than a brother. You can depend on him totally without a doubt. There aren't enough witchcraft love spells in the world that can do this for you. There is no major power, VIP, or coven leader on earth who can bring a lifelong lover into your life with the eternal passion of Christ as your Bridegroom. Only the love and power of God can do that for you. And He will, if you ask Him to. He's standing at the door of your heart knocking even now. Why don't you open the door, invite him in, and tell him what's on your heart today? No, He's not a magic genie, a warlock, or a magician, but He has been known to do a miracle or two every now and then. And He knows what you need most. You can trust Him with your life and your love life.

"Date, Pray, Wait" is filled with great tips and practical advice on dating as a Christian in today's world. For more on Christian dating and to purchase the book, follow the "Date... Pray... Wait" blog at http://datepraywait.com.

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Did God Create Aliens Like Us Somewhere Else?

After writing my science fiction novel, Aliens in Paradise, I began thinking seriously about the possibility of life in a world beyond our own. I have researched the work already done by NASA, concentrating on their discovery of thousands of earth-like planets within our own galaxy. Those discoveries are not science fiction. Thousands of planets like earth do exist. This fact gives rise to a more credible belief that life might exist elsewhere beyond our own world.
Even with only several thousand planets already documented by NASA, there are millions more they haven't yet seen. NASA continues to document the existence of several new planets every day, so eventually in years to come, there will be hundreds of thousands of planets documented throughout our galaxy.
Keep in mind that astronomers have already documented the existence of billions of stars in our galaxy. Many of those stars are presumed to have planets revolving around them. Current technology only allows NASA to confirm the existence of planets around a few thousand of the closest stars to our own sun. This does not mean the distant stars don't have planets. It just means that NASA hasn't yet developed the technology to prove their existence. Still, astronomers have documented the existence of millions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars and possible planets of their own. When you add all those galaxies up, there are simply trillions upon trillions of stars in the Universe, each with the possibility of hosting multiple planets. It is this continuously expanding realm of NASA's discoveries that lead me to believe that at least some of those planets might have intelligent life, and some might have only primitive forms of life.
I have a difficult time believing that of all those trillions of stars and planets in the Universe, earth is the only planet that has life. It just doesn't make sense. It's as silly as saying that people only exist in your own neighborhood, even though you have seen pictures of other buildings around the world. You haven't been to all of those buildings yourself, so you can not confirm anyone is in them because you haven't seen the people who inhabit those buildings. You are left to believe that since those buildings exist, there must be people in most of them. It's the same with planets in the Universe. Certainly, at least some of those planets must host some sort of life form, no matter how primitive that life form may be.
Since these planets are so far away from us and from each other, discovering life on other planets as we know it will take a technology we haven't yet developed. The sheer distances between those other worlds would make space travel between them all but impossible without a spacecraft that could travel at close to the speed of light. Our current technology would take over ten thousand years to reach the nearest star system to our sun. Since the energy to power a light speed spacecraft would consume more energy than is available on the entire earth, humans aren't going to be going to the stars any time soon. For the same reason, it's likely that no one from the stars has already made it here, either. But it isn't impossible. Just unlikely.
When I wrote Aliens in Paradise, I followed many scientific facts and adhered to the laws of physics as we know them. The fictional part of the story is primarily centered around two subjects. The first is the ionic rocket propulsion system that allows aliens from a star system twenty light years away to reach earth within a human life span. Certainly no known rocket engine that powerful exists today, at least on earth. However, the principle of ionic propulsion does exist, and is currently in use by NASA. It just doesn't have the capability of pushing a spacecraft to the speed of light. That might change someday. And, yes, there really is an earth like planet twenty light years away from earth as depicted in my fictional story.
The second fictional subject is the similarity of the aliens to humans. In Aliens in Paradise, two aliens come to earth after viewing our TV shows on their own planet. These aliens look so much like humans that most people believe they are not aliens at all. The story explains that our Almighty Creator, who many of us refer to as God, also has created life elsewhere in the Universe. Since the same God created life on multiple worlds, it would stand to reason there would be similarities between aliens and humans. After all, if God is omnipresent as many religions tell us, then it stands to reason He could have created similar life forms in many places other than earth. It makes for a great science fiction plot, but it also makes sense in reality as well. Perhaps someday, scientists looking for life outside our world will discover the radio or TV broadcasts of some other civilization elsewhere in our galaxy. Getting there, however, will have to wait.

Rick Bennette is the author of several romance and science fiction novels. Also an independent film maker, he has owned and operated a video production facility since 1985 in Connecticut and South Florida. Rick's books are available on Amazon and also on his website.

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The Connection Between Northern European Astronomy and Their Gods and Tree of Life

Each generation in a tribe confronted numerous challenges it had to successfully meet, if the nation was to survive. These included clan obligations, religious relationships, camp work, acquiring stories, and so on. To acquire the vital necessary learning, the cultures put sophisticated systems in place for the tribe to utilize. These duties were rooted in their special perspective on the nature of humans and of the environment. The ancients considered themselves part of the natural world. They believed everything came from the same source thus a bear, wolf or fish was our brother or sister and part of the evolutionary tree for a purpose. A bear being a relative is far more likely to be treated with kindness then an object, most urbanized people have become - disconnected from their brother A Tribe members life was shared with all creation in a common world. As they examined the natural world, they discovered in nature its marvellous detail of how it functioned. Each tribe reproduced habits of the species they observed so they to lived with the flow. In other words each 'fine' of the tribe replicated an animal's teachings into tribal life & some began to see the written history of these animal gods in the stars as well. All ancient mythology is but symbolism for a sort of Genealogy of the Tree of Life.
The Magnificent Celtic World Tree bridged with the Milky Way as its massive roots that extended down to the Earth., is also what was considered to be the origin of all peoples, each symbolized by an animal sitting in the tree. Each tribe was a descendant from these animals brothers or gods or a particular tree, river and so on. And just as the animals were sacrificed in the circle of life, so were they. But all came from the World tree, even the winds and other trees. So many tribes chose the tree, animal, constellation, or mountain that they would most see, as being their Mother or Father God. Whether the tribe was Japanese, Indian, 1st nations and so on, we are all from the one tree. Some tribes had a turtle instead of tree, but all mean the same thing. This is what comprises the ancients universe and understanding of its powers. We can see with this tree, in the Welsh Celts of the Arthurian cults who used his court warriors to help Culhwch (Kul oo k) finding the ancient animals to look for Mabon - blackbird, Stag, owl, eagle, and salmon. Ysbaddaden (pronounced - (Is ba thad'n) - which means Chief Giant.) gives Culhwch several tasks in order to win his daughter Olwen (means "white footprint" because she left white flowers where she walked). It is my opinion, giving the knowledge that the Celts well into the Roman times had Tree Gods they were descended from, that Ysbaddaden might have been the world tree - "Chief Giant" tree, though I cannot prove this theory. The Blackbird replaces the Hawk in Norse myths.
In the Norse Tree
The Norse decided on the frost giants (being the giants (possibly huge planets) of fire and ice in the voice or sea space who break up and become earth and planets but they too came from the tree with the rainbow bridge (milky way), and in its branches were also the similar main ancient animals of creation which included an eagle and it's knowledge, a hawk called Vedrfolnir, a squirrel called Ratatosk who runs up and down through the ash tree and carries malicious messages between the eagle and Nidhogg. There are also Four Stags run in the branches of the ash which feed on the foliage and represent the four directions. Their names are: Dain, Dvalin, Dunyr, Durathror. Again all these constellations can be found in the sky. The hawk sits atop the eagles head in the sky.
Dain (dormant) - one of the 4 deer constellations in the branches of the World Tree, an elf name who most likely gave birth to the elves.
Dvalin (sleeper) - one of the 4 deer constellations, a dwarf name and the 2nd smallest deer is most possible the ancestor of the Dwarves.
Duneyr (drooping-ears) - the second largest of the deer - could be the ancestor to whomever mythical creature had drooping ears.
Durathror (sluggish beast) - the largest of the deer. Another constellation long forgotten.
Ratatosk (gnaw-tooth) - the squirrel constellation. Is the main stars in Cassiopeia, with his feet, body and two stars for its tail visible.
Geirrod- the eagle constellation, unnamed among the Norse but whose name we find as "Garuda" in Hindu mythology. Some called it the swan. (We call it Elyrch (which means swan in Pwkatta - pronounced Eleerpuh)
Vedrfolnir (wind-parched) - constellation for the hawk upon the eagle's head.
Nidhogg (poison biter) - constellation of a serpent at the foot of Yggdrasill's root. The constellation some say is the same as Scorpius, who resides just at the base of the tree's root. But I read too many others that say the snake is like energy coiled & can move up and down the tree. It is the bridge to otherworld knowledge with sheds its skin and begins anew in each phase of learning.
In a poem called "Grimnismal", there are four stags on the bottom roots, and four harts at the top boughs, making 8 turns of the wheel. An eagle at the top of branches and a snake at the bottom. (The eagle is now seen as Cygnus the swan in Summer).
One tells of the thunder god Thor helping out the hero Aurvandil by carrying him in a basket back from the frozen north. On the way his toe slipped out and became frost bitten, so Thor broke it off and threw it up into the sky to form a star.
An Anglo-Saxon (Celtic /Scandinavian tribe) version of Aurvandil is Earandel, meaning 'morning star'.

A giant named Thiassi, carried off the goddess Idunn to attain youth from her eternal apples, was killed by the gods after they rescued her. To atone for this deed Odin took the old giant's eyes and threw them up in the sky as his punishment. These stars could only be the twin stars Castor and Pollux.
Other myths associations with Constellations
Grendel - In mythic terms, is a major character who disappears beneath a lake or sea implies that it is a constellation which sometimes slips beneath the celestial equator. From northern Saxon regions, like England, a good proportion of the constellation Scorpio is below the horizon, and one of the zodiacal constellations. Checking on position, I found that Scorpius' position makes it seem that it drowns in the mythic waters. Scorpius is also a clawed creature who loses a claw and its shoulder in the sky, as the same in the story of Beowulf.
Grendel's mother - There is a small constellation adjacent to Scorpius called Lupus, the wolf. It too 'drowns' in the mythic waters just before Scorpius. There is if we read closely, a reference to her being a "wolfish-swimmer". Lupus has associations with Pan and fauns, and in the Roman culture, its festival survived way into the Christian times.
Vidofnir - cock/rooster that is perched upon the highest branch of the World Tree most likely would be Polaris, the North Star or magnetic north. It is golden and shines like a thunderstorm. An immortal guard watching over the world. A symbol of the heralded 'sun fire'. On earth his totem crows at dawn for the victory of light and life returning. Among Germanic tribes he is a spiritual guide. This same 'son' is also Arthur - the pole star who has a wagon or plow. If wer changed the V to W we get "Widofnir" which means (Weaver of the winds), the name of the skies of Vanir, regarded as the Norse deity of fertility.
Horses of Many Cultures
Sun /Star Horses - In the Prose Edda, most are described as the mounts of various gods. The horses seem to be involve either the sun and moon chasing or carrying the sun to next zodiacal sign or adventure. Sleipnir (son of Svadilfari) is the most famous of horses only because he was Odin's mount. Goti is Gunnarr's horse. Grani was Sigurdr's horse. Gulltopr (also called "Gold-Top") was Heimdallr's horse. Hoof-Tosser, Kertr, Slangvir were others. Vakr was Morn's horse. All-Bright, Alsvidhr, Arvakr, Early-Wake, Gladr, Gullfaxi, Sheen-Mane, Shining-Mane and Skinfaxi. There are also night horses and some of those names mentioned are Fjarsvartnir - Frosty-Mane.
These can go in any sign as they are always pulling the sun God or Night Star God on its course. They might be legends of but one tribe. So you ca really put in any animal for each 'fine' (smaller groups part of a larger tribe but function as an independent unit as well).
Auriga, the Charioteer or Waggoner in early days the Wainman, is the French Cocher, the Italian Cocchiere, and the German Fuhrmann. Its key star was considered a she goat and sometimes a unicorn then the myths went to the major constellation of Capricorn, the Turks had is a a mule.
The Sacred Horse is a potent symbol of intelligence, speed, grace, strength, virility, & fertility. It was once seen in the constellation now called Pegasus. Called Epona to some Celtic tribes and so on. Its flowing mane representing the brilliant rays of the sun as the Horse is a beast which carries the Sun's wagon, or the Moon's, across the sky. According to Kristian Kristiansen, in an article called rock art and religion, Horses appear on many early Bronze Age rock carvings showing ancient scenes of fertility rites. He/She believes that Horses were the symbolic twins who would be both ships & horses, night (ship) and day (horses). Horses were actually consulted by priests who would decipher their movements, and sounds. Horses were kept as sacred in many temples up to Christianity who then, as we see in mock humour in the movie "A Knights Tale," would desecrate a church. The church tried to cover many things from pagan past.
Arthurian Horses - Spumador ("the foaming one", sea foam and cloud); a horse of Arthur's.
Bel Joeor - horse - Tristan / Passe-Brewel or Passebreul horse - Tristan.
Berring - horse - Lancelot. Chestnut Long-Neck (Lively Steed of Britain) horse - Kai (Kay).
Cloven-Hoof (Plundered Horse of Britain) horse - Owain (Yvain).
Drudwyn horse - Mabon / Gwynn Dun Mane - Mabon. Dun-Grey (Pack-Horse of Britain) - Rhydderch Hael.
Gringalet, Gringolets, Gringuljete horse with the Red Ears - Lahelin, Orilus, Urjan, Lischois, & Gawain.
Llamrei - Arthur.
Caw of Scotland - Pale Yellow of the Stud (Bestowed Horse of Britain) horse - Lleu.
Passelande - Arthur. Lluagor (the opener of the host) - Caradawg's horse.
Arthurian. The word "Nightmares" is a name which was derived from the Celts who thought they were brought by a visiting horse Goddess such as Epona - Night, the moon, mystery, and magic.
Norse Horses - Gyllir, Blakkr, Hamskerpir, Silfrintoppr, Hrafn, Sinir, Amfaxi, Skeidbrimir, Hœnir, Gardrofa, Glaumr, Tjaldari, Glenr, Lungr, Valr, Marr, Vigg.
In most Celtic myths the horses are black or white, thereby providing more evidence of night and day or dark half and light half of the wheel of the year.
So in conclusion we see in many cultures that whether it be deer, birds or other animals - they represent the four directions. Even A first nations tribe showed this in an opening ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics in B.C. Canada - Each animal represented one of the constellations of the Four Directions, the White Buffalo (north), the Eagle (east), the Wolf (south) and the Bear (west).
By Brahva Cwmevos
Copyright April 2, 2012
Bibliography -
This article was from my head but over the years I have been influenced by the Writings of Kristian Kristiansen, Eddas, and other Celtic scholars such as Mathew and Caitlin, Peter Ellis, JeanMarkale and so on.

Brahva Cwmevos
Chieftain of 1st Maers Khohias Tribe
(Northern European based but accepts all cultures)
Canada

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Norse Witchcraft and Magic Today

The Norse were adventurous,daring Viking warriors who worshiped the Aesir and the Vanir (The Norse Gods and Goddesses). These words conjure up shining images of helmet-clad men with huge swords in hand, sailing their dragon ships over choppy seas.
They were comprised of Scandinavians, as is generally thought but also northern Germans, northern French and people from much of the British isles. They left much of their culture, religion and racial blood in these areas.
The Northmen, like the Celtic tribes had strong ties to the Earth, the Elements, the Gods and the "Little People", hidden people. From the Norse come many of our ideas about trolls, dwarves, elves and giants.
They believed in an afterlife and an end of the world, or Ragnarock, long before the Christians permeated their culture. They gave us the concept of the "Thing", public assembly, where justice could be administered.
Theirs was one of the few cultures where women had a great amount of freedom and protection under law. Norse women were among the most liberated at the time. They had much status. The Norse concept of marriage allowed great cooperation and companionship between husband and wife.
In addition to housewives, women were priestesses, wise women,(versed in Magic) rune-mistresses, healers and warriors. They could go before the Assembly and be granted justice, or even a divorce, just as the men could. Women were listened to by men, especially if they had prophetic dreams or impressions. And dreams were considered important, as they were one of the ways the gods contacted humans.
The people of the North were individualists and deeply resented any attempt to curb their freedom. But at the same time they were capable of great self control, accepting adversities without self-pity.
The Northmen loved a good story or jest. They were shrewd traders with an instinct for commerce. They loved fine design and artistry. They treasured their ships and swords for their beauty as well as for their function.
The Norse were firm believers in retaliation for injustices. There was no room for softness or a door mat existence. The land they farmed was harsh and full of hardship. But in spite of all they maintained a strong belief in family and clan. Their stories show an immense, tender love for spouse, children, friends and family.
Their deities were strong but not immortal. These gods and goddesses were pictured as men and women, but on a grander scale; wiser, stronger, more beautiful guardians of humankind.
Norse Magic and Celtic Magic are the only two true Western European magical traditions. The Northmen were among the last European societies to fall to Christianity.
Norse Magic and witchcraft for today fits the type of personality that is a "doer," someone who definitely dose not believe in taking a servile approach to life. It interests those who want to actively shape their own future, rather than just waiting around for change to come on it's own.
It is a Magic of pride in oneself with the courage to face whatever comes, and the knowledge to mold results into a particular life plan. It attracts only a strong person, open to changes and the acceptance of new ideas.
The Norse Gods do not drop results in your lap. These gods only help those who help themselves.
You must ignore the old cry of, "Magic doesn't work!" And instead attune yourself to the power of the Elements calling upon the Norse Gods and other supernatural beings.
Magic works if you think it works! Preparing for magic begins with the subconscious mind, and reprogramming it to accept the unseen and the disprovable. It begins by unlocking the creative part of the mind.
True magic is the way of the individual, not society. It encourages self growth and a restructuring of thought and living.
If you become successful and happy through magic; why worry about the opinions of others who are less open? Learn, practice and perform! Enjoy every new success to the fullest.
As the old Norse would say: "May the Gods of Asgard guide your steps. May Thor's hammer protect you. May Odin give you wisdom and may Freya give you magical power and prosperity!"
Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Lory Woortman is an author and water color artist. She is interested in Norse Shamanism, Magic and Quantum Physics. She has written many more articles on:
http://mistressofenchantment.blogspot.com/
http://www.olevikingshop.builderspot.com/

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Romania's Haunted Forest

Romania's Hoia Baciu forest is a place which has long been associated with strange and paranormal happenings, especially by locals in the nearby village located on the edge of the forest. Residents of this remote village report seeing strange lights in the sky, beams of light rising from the forest at night, spectral figures are seen and strange sounds and voices are heard by anyone who ventures into the forest. Some people have even reported being assaulted by unseen forces, but let's take a look at the known history of the forest before we get to that.
In 1968 a military technician named Emil Barnea went camping in the forest to get some quiet time (that was his first mistake). Accompanying Emil were his girlfriend Zamfir and two friends, the group had ignored warnings about the forest given to them by villagers, apparently Emil and co. had never ever seen a horror movie in which ignored warnings lead to terrible/hilarious deaths. Anyway it turns out nothing to bad happened to the group, but they got three very clear black and white pictures of a silver disc UFO, which Emil described as executing a difficult flying manoeuvre then flew of into the blue at a steep angle.
Long before Emil and co. had their sighting, the Hoia Baciu forest was producing weirdness. Locals have always reported physical effects like feeling sick, feeling very anxious for no reason, sudden headaches and sometimes even burns and scratches appearing on the skin of those who have gone into the forest. Another visitor to the forest of eternal creepiness was one Alexandru Sift, a biologist who became intrigued with the stories surrounding Hoia Baciu. He began to venture alone into the forest hoping to experience the phenomenon first hand. Alexandru began to notice that as he walked through the trees shadowy shapes were following him, always seen from the corner of his eye. It was tricky to form a solid opinion of who or what they were, so he began photographing the shadows or at least the areas in which he seen them, the results were impressive. Not only did the photographs he took show the shadows, but also figures of people that he never noticed with the naked eye and also light orbs, his photographic evidence only served to add interest to an already interesting and scary place.
In September of 2009 the crew of the Syfy channel's popular program, Destination Truth, traveled to Romania to check out this infamous haunted forest for themselves. As it turns out they got slightly more than they bargained for. They started by interviewing a professor in the city of Cluj named Adrian Patrut who is Romania's leading expert on the Hoia Baciu forest. He has personally observed strange bright lights and human shaped apparitions on his trips to study the forest, Adrian directed the destination truth team to a small village near the edge of the forest where they would get the local take on things. The villagers the team interviewed confirmed the reports of strange lights above the forest and disembodied voices and shadowy shapes and also warned "don't go". Village advice ignored t,he team proceeded into the forest for an all night vigil.
After patrolling through the dark forest and observing quite a few strange lights among the trees they arrived at the area of most interest in the forest which is a circular clearing near the centre with no trees, and it was here that the team conducted an evp session, where one team member sits in the middle of the circle alone for 30 minutes and asks questions and and later the audio evidence is examined to look for replies, the other team members watch the individual from their base camp nearby. Everything was fairly uneventful until Evan's turn. He reported over his radio that he was hearing female voices which seemed to be coming from different parts of the forest, about three seconds after saying this he was thrown or pulled backwards with considerable force, an event which was captured clearly on the groups night vision camera set up. The other team members sprinted from base camp to help Evan and when they got to him he was visibly shaken and some scratch marks had appeared on his forearm.

So in summary it certainly seems like the Hoia Baciu forest is hiding some weird secrets and it definitely didn't disappoint on it's first big TV appearance. Check out destination truth season 5 episode 2 for the teams return visit to this odd forest.

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History of the Crystal Skulls - Part II (Discovery of Crystal Skulls in 19th Century)

Originally I was going to make this article just two parts but it would take many pages to discuss the major crystal skulls that have emerged since the 1800's. So we will only mention the main crystalline skulls or heads which either are documented to be discovered or that there are rumors of ones which surfaced sometime in the 19th century. This means we will be writing a Part III for this article series in the near future. Below find a description of the following crystal skulls that are known of today:
a) The Paris Crystal Skull (found in the 1860's) - a small single piece clear quartz skull with primitive features and a hole cut from top to bottom that was probably discovered in a tomb in Mexico by grave robbers. Eventually the skull is purchase from a French antiquities dealer and donated to the Trocadero Museum in Paris in 1878. The crystal skull is moved after 2000 into the Musee du Quai Branly near the Eiffel Tower. It is said that this could be an Aztec skull that was used in a death ceremony with it was placed on a pole and this is why the hole exists.
b) The British Museum Crystal Skull (found in the 1860's) - human size, a single piece of clear quartz probably also found in a tomb in Mexico which eventually found itself in the hands of a soldier of fortune who eventually sold it to the same antiquities dealer as the Paris Skull. It is recorded a gentlemen living in New York City eventually buys the skull (it had been offered to various world museums who thought it was a fake) who then sells this crystalline skull to Tiffany's, a New York Jeweler. In 1897 Tiffany sells the skull to the British Museum in London who has it on display in the early part of 1898. Initially this skull was on display at the Museum of Man, a sister museum to the larger British Museum but in 2004, the British Museum Crystal Skull moves it to the main museum on Russell Street where it has been on public exhibition ever since. When the Indiana Jones film came out in 2008, the museum did some type of tests upon the skull, as the Musee du Quai Branly did with their skull, and both museums claimed their respective crystallinr skulls were fakes or made by modern carvers in the 19th century.
c) National Museum in Mexico City (on display in the 1860's or 1870"s) is a collection of small crystal skulls that were purchased from individuals that had them in their possession. Mexico is known as a country where many of the crystalline skulls are hidden in the ground. As we move to Part III of this article series, you will learn more about this.
d) Reliquary Cross Crystal Skull (received from a Church in the 1860's in Mexico) - this is a small clear quartz skull with a hole cut from top to bottom to hold a cross that is dated 1571 which is made from quartz with gold embedded into it that is held by the Redo family. At a crystal skull conference in Mexico City in 2009, we met Mrs. Redo who has been the guardian of this skull for many years. At that time she informed us that her skull was in secured storage in England and was going to be offered for sale. Not sure if this crystalline skull has been sold to a new owner however.
e) President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico, various crystal skulls (from 1876 - 1911) - it is claimed on his desk that he had several skulls of which people who were contemporaries of his time wrote about seeing these skulls in his office but, we do not have a way to verify this statement. Further it is speculated that some of the crystalline skulls that we know of today may have been part of this set. This would include a large 30+ lb. hollow skull that was delivered to the doorstep of the Smithsonian Institute in 1992. There was a note left with the skull by an anonymous donor that suggested President Diaz had this crystal skull. Also there was discussion of an amethyst crystal skull that President Diaz had which could be another skull we have seen photos of that were sent to us by a private owner that lives in California. This amethyst skull appears to be of a simple design and has a dark purple color. Again neither of these crystal skulls can be confirmed but there are stories which are being told.
What we can state however is that in the 1800's, the large museums of the time became very interested to share antiquities from ancient civilizations and since the crystal skulls were all discovered to this point in Mexico, it was thought they were of Aztec or Mayan origins. But there was not a lot of interest to do a thorough investigation upon the skulls as they were just a part of the artifacts left by these cultures. The more serious research with the crystalline skulls does not happen until the 20th century when the most well-known Crystal Skull was discovered linked to an ancient ruin in Belize in the 1920's. But we will have to save the reporting of the next series of crystalline skulls that emerged publicly in the next century for the third part of this article series.
We can say though that the British Museum, Museum in Paris and the small crystal skulls in the National Museum of Mexico are still on display and still draw people very interested to see the real objects in person.
We hope you enjoyed this second part of the series about the History linked to the crystal skulls. As we move closer to the 21st century, more and more skulls begin to appear publicly. It is possible that many of the crystal skulls we know of today could have been either held in private hands of people who never spoke about them or we also believe that various indigenous cultures in all three Americas may have been guarding the skulls in secret to protect them as they considered the crystal skulls to be sacred objects and important for the future of humanity.
Thank you, in peace and light,
To the adventures and journeys ahead
Joshua Shapiro
a crystal skull explorer

Joshua Shapiro and his partner Katrina Head are known as the Crystal Skull Explorers. Living in the Seattle area since 2011, they have traveled the world sharing key information about the crystal skulls along with their 16 skulls they call the crystal children. For 2012 they plan to write several new e-books. As a matter of fact on September 5th they just released their new Kindle e-book "Journeys of the Crystal Skulls Explorers" and more then 400 people grabbed their copy in the first week. To get your copy for less than a buck head over to:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095B48R6/
To view the press release we sent out on September 13th (2012) to let people know about our new Kindle e-book take a peek at:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/9/prweb9891671.htm

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